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• northeast
  northeast

  noun

  a point on the compass midway between north and east. NE
• Northeast
  Northeast

  noun

  the northeastern part of England, esp Northumberland, Durham, and the Tyneside area

northeast

American  

[nawrth-eest, nawr-eest] / ˌnɔrθˈist, ˌnɔrˈist /

noun

1. a point on the compass midway between north and east. NE

2. a region in this direction.

3. the Northeast, the northeastern part of the United States.

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adverb

1. toward or in the northeast.

   sailing northeast.

adjective

1. coming from the northeast.

   a northeast wind.

2. directed toward the northeast.

   a northeast course.

northeast ¹ British  

/ ˌnɔːθˈiːst, ˌnɔːrˈiːst /

noun

1. the point of the compass or direction midway between north and east, 45° clockwise from north

2. (often capital) any area lying in or towards this direction

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adjective

1. (sometimes capital) of or denoting the northeastern part of a specified country, area, etc

   northeast Lincolnshire

2. situated in, proceeding towards, or facing the northeast

3. (esp of the wind) from the northeast

adverb

1. in, to, towards, or (esp of the wind) from the northeast

Northeast ² British  

/ ˌnɔːθˈiːst /

noun

1. the northeastern part of England, esp Northumberland, Durham, and the Tyneside area

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Other Word Forms

• northeastern
  adjective
• northeasternmost
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of northeast

before 950; Middle English, Old English; see north, east

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

northeast Northeast

“A Kuwaiti oil tanker was attacked in the Strait of Hormuz northeast of Oman by an unknown projectile,” ANZ Research analysts say in a research report.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

The ferry MV Barima left the small English-speaking country at the northeast corner of South America Saturday afternoon with 133 people aboard for a trip from the capital, Georgetown, to the town of Port Kaituma.

From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026

Once home to mostly working-class Latino families, neighborhoods along the river in northeast L.A. have seen home prices surge for years.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

Operators of a new $53.8 million development in northeast Portland, built with the tax credit and the local housing bond, had trouble filling studio and one-bedroom apartments whose affordable rents were near market rate.

From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026

I looked dully around the room until I spotted Simmon and Manet sitting in their usual place at the northeast corner of the hall.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

In cities across the Midwest and Northeast, people wore masks outdoors to filter out the dangerous air.

From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026

Peter Mullinax, a meteorologist for NWS, told AFP that winds over the Great Lakes could push more smoke into the Northeast, which could keep skies hazy.

From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026

Toronto and other Canadian cities as well as parts of the US Midwest and Northeast will see the high temperatures that started on Tuesday continue into Wednesday.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

Amtrak canceled some trains in the Northeast because of excessive heat that could affect the tracks.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 5, 2026

And the other girl talks so bad about Northeast Portland, not knowing she is talking about Sam’s neighborhood.

From "Piecing Me Together" by Renée Watson