Jump To:

• southeast
  southeast

  noun

  the point or direction midway between south and east. SE
• Southeast
  Southeast

  noun

  the southeastern part of Britain, esp the London area

southeast

American  

[south-eest, sou-eest] / ˌsaʊθˈist, ˌsaʊˈist /

noun

1. the point or direction midway between south and east. SE

2. a region in this direction.

3. (initial capital letter) the southeast region of the United States.

---

adjective

1. lying toward, situated in, or directed toward the southeast.

2. coming from the southeast, as a wind.

adverb

1. in the direction midway between south and east.

southeast ¹ British  

/ ˌsaʊθˈiːst, ˌsaʊˈiːst /

noun

1. the point of the compass or the direction midway between south and east, 135° clockwise from north

2. any area lying in or towards this direction

---

adjective

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

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

3. (esp of the wind) from the southeast

adverb

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

Southeast ² British  

/ ˌsaʊθˈiːst /

noun

1. the southeastern part of Britain, esp the London area

---

Other Word Forms

• southeastern
  adjective
• southeasternmost
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of southeast

before 900; Middle English southest, Old English sūthēast. See south, east

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

southeast Southeast

Located about 60 miles southeast of Bunia, the Bahema-Boga territory in Irumu is the region’s food basket, where traders flock to its weekly markets to buy supplies ranging from grain to fish.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026

Sarder Udoy Raihan of the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre told the AFP news agency that the situation in the southeast of the country was likely to improve soon.

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

“Buying a condo now, I love it, because I know what I’m buying,” said Jeff Lichtenstein, a real-estate broker in southeast Florida who owns the luxury residential brokerage Echo Fine Properties.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026

Cristina Garcia, a former assemblywoman who represented southeast L.A. and worked with Siebel Newsom on women’s legislation, said she thought Siebel Newsom would be a target no matter what.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026

In the country inhabited by the Ka’apor, on the mainland southeast of Marajo, centuries of tinkering have profoundly changed the forest community.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

Inspired by traditional Indian cooking and Southeast Asian flavors, this Food52 recipe bathes and simmers sautéed heads of romaine in a delicious mixture of gingery coconut milk, fresh lime juice and fish sauce.

From Salon ● Jul. 25, 2026

Hotel spas around Southeast Asia are developing treatments to address their customers’ most frequent complaint: debilitating jet lag.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

No issue facing Southeast Asia's foreign ministers has been more fraught than how to reintegrate Myanmar, a member state formally excluded from such summits since its military junta seized power in 2021.

From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026

Those new to Thai massage, popular not just in Thailand but around Southeast Asia, may be surprised by all of the stretching involved.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

In appearance and genes those islands’ inhabitants are similar to South Chinese, and even more similar to tropical Southeast Asians, especially those of the Malay Peninsula.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond