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• northwest
  northwest

  noun

  a point on the compass midway between north and west. NW
• Northwest
  Northwest

  noun

  the northwestern part of England, esp Lancashire and the Lake District

northwest

American  

[nawrth-west, nawr-west] / ˌnɔrθˈwɛst, ˌnɔrˈwɛst /

noun

1. a point on the compass midway between north and west. NW

2. a region in this direction.

3. the Northwest,

   1. the northwestern part of the United States, especially Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.

   2. the northwestern part of the United States when its western boundary was the Mississippi River.

   3. the northwestern part of Canada.

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adjective

1. coming from the northwest.

   a northwest wind.

2. directed toward the northwest.

   sailing a northwest course.

adverb

1. from the northwest.

2. toward the northwest.

   sailing northwest.

northwest ¹ British  

/ ˌnɔːθˈwɛst, ˌnɔːˈwɛst /

noun

1. the point of the compass or direction midway between north and west, 315° 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 northwestern part of a specified country, area, etc

   northwest Greenland

adjective

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

Northwest ² British  

/ ˌnɔːθˈwɛst /

noun

1. the northwestern part of England, esp Lancashire and the Lake District

2. the northwestern part of the US, consisting of the states of Washington, Oregon, and sometimes Idaho

3. (in Canada) the region north and west of the Great Lakes

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Other Word Forms

• northwestern
  adjective
• northwesternmost
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of northwest

before 900; Middle English, Old English; see north, west

Example Sentences

The new findings, published in Science Advances, offer a rare look at how these massive systems evolve and raise new questions about earthquake risks in the Pacific Northwest.

From Science Daily • Apr. 29, 2026

Enbridge’s Westcoast Energy affiliate operates a transmission system that transports processed natural gas to customers in the Canadian provinces of British Columbia and Alberta, and to customers in the Pacific Northwest.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

He added there are plans to add more military assets to Canada's Northwest Territories and increase war fighting tasks in the north, "because we always like to be ready for the worst".

From BBC • Apr. 12, 2026

The actress recently made her migration to the Pacific Northwest permanent with the purchase of a home near the Canadian set of her hit CBS drama.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 7, 2026

Perhaps the smell of candlefish fat, ubiquitous in later Northwest Coast Indian cookery, even then hovered over the first visitors’ fires.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann