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• southwest
  southwest

  noun

  the point or direction midway between south and west. SW
• Southwest
  Southwest

  noun

  the southwestern part of Britain, esp Cornwall, Devon, and Somerset

southwest

American  

[south-west, sou-west] / ˌsaʊθˈwɛst, ˌsaʊˈwɛst /

noun

1. the point or direction midway between south and west. SW

2. a region in this direction.

3. the Southwest, the southwest region of the United States.

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adjective

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

2. coming from the southwest, as a wind.

adverb

1. in the direction midway between south and west.

southwest ¹ British  

/ ˌsaʊˈwɛst, ˌsaʊθˈwɛst /

noun

1. the point of the compass or the direction midway between west and south, 225° clockwise from north

2. any area lying in or towards this direction

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adjective

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

   southwest Italy

2. situated in or towards the southwest

3. (esp of the wind) from the southwest

adverb

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

Southwest ² British  

/ ˌsaʊθˈwɛst /

noun

1. the southwestern part of Britain, esp Cornwall, Devon, and Somerset

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Other Word Forms

• southwestern
  adjective
• southwesternmost
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of southwest

before 900; Middle English; Old English sūthwest. See south, west

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

southwest Southwest

Similar feelings are strong on other islands of Japan’s southwest, such as Okinawa, Ishigaki and Yonaguni.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026

The African Superplume is an enormous zone of rising mantle material that begins deep beneath southwest Africa and extends northeastward across the continent.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 1, 2026

This corner of the southwest province of Guizhou produces one in every seven of the instruments sold worldwide.

From Barron's ● Aug. 31, 2026

KD1 — which is inscribed on her leg band — hails from the Prado Basin, some 70 miles southwest of Big Bear.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

Our objective was a place called Hill 362, southwest of Motoyama Village.

From "Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two" by Joseph Bruchac

JPMorgan Chase JPM 0.31%increase; green up pointing triangle is partnering with Southwest on the lounges and will issue the new card.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

Trails down into the Canyon from the South Rim remained open on Monday, but staff were warning visitors of the potential dangers, with sudden squalls possible at any time during the Southwest monsoon season.

From Barron's ● Aug. 31, 2026

February temperatures experienced by snowbirds in Florida and the Southwest reveal little about what’s in store when August heat is blazing.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026

Her most recent credits included roles this year on the TV show “The Upshaws,” the David Dastmalchian-led film “The Cure,” and a 12-minute short, “Achiever,” which premiered at South by Southwest in March.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026

However, it is not yet known whether Ethiopians were cultivating these local plants before or only after the arrival of the Southwest Asian package.

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