1
: coming from the northwest
a northwest wind
2
: situated toward or at the northwest
the northwest corner
1
a
: the general direction between north and west
b
: the point midway between the north and west compass points
2
capitalized
: regions or countries lying to the northwest of a specified or implied point of orientation
Examples of northwest in a Sentence
Adverb
It's about 80 miles northwest of here.
I headed northwest on Route 1.
Adjective
the northwest corner of the building
Noun
A mountain range is in the northwest of the country.
We traveled throughout the Northwest.
Recent Examples on the Web
Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 19 June 2025
However, the storm moved northwest just inland up the coast through midday, bringing heavy rain to the resort city and the mountains that tower dramatically above it.
—Luis Alberto Cruz, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2025
Post-Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 30 June 2025
So, that’s a total of 3 Electrify America fast chargers in a vast area in northwest Los Angeles covering high-density EV hotspots such as Chatsworth, Porter Ranch, Granada Hills, and Simi Valley (Ventura County).
—Brooke Crothers, Forbes.com, 29 June 2025
Jennifer Rodriguez, Kansas City Star, 19 June 2025
The lucky lottery winner bought his tickets at a liquor store in Hagerstown, about a 75-mile drive northwest from Baltimore, lottery officials said.
—Natalie Demaree, Miami Herald, 18 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for northwest
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Adverb
The hurricane was located on Thursday morning about 20 miles east of Punta Maldonado and was moving northwest at about 9 mph, according to the NHC.
—Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 19 June 2025
However, the storm moved northwest just inland up the coast through midday, bringing heavy rain to the resort city and the mountains that tower dramatically above it.
—Luis Alberto Cruz, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2025
Adjective
Since its founding in 1993, the band has performed hundreds of concerts in northwest Indiana.
—Post-Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 30 June 2025
So, that’s a total of 3 Electrify America fast chargers in a vast area in northwest Los Angeles covering high-density EV hotspots such as Chatsworth, Porter Ranch, Granada Hills, and Simi Valley (Ventura County).
—Brooke Crothers, Forbes.com, 29 June 2025
Noun
Bloomfield Hills is about a 25-mile drive northwest from Detroit.
—Jennifer Rodriguez, Kansas City Star, 19 June 2025
The lucky lottery winner bought his tickets at a liquor store in Hagerstown, about a 75-mile drive northwest from Baltimore, lottery officials said.
—Natalie Demaree, Miami Herald, 18 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for northwest
Cite this Entry
“Northwest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/northwest. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
northwest
1 of 3 adverb
north·west
nȯrth-ˈwest 
nautical
nȯr-ˈwest
: to or toward the northwest
northwest
2 of 3 noun1
: the direction between north and west
2
capitalized
: the regions or countries northwest of a point that is mentioned or understood
northwest
3 of 3 adjective1
: coming from the northwest
a northwest wind
2
: placed or lying toward or at the northwest
the northwest corner
Geographical Definition
North West
geographical name
variants
or Noordwes
ˌnȯrd-ˈwes
ˌnȯrt-
province of the northern part of the Republic of South Africa bordering Botswana area 44,861 square miles (116,190 square kilometers), population 3,509,953
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share