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• north
  north

  noun

  a cardinal point of the compass, lying in the plane of the meridian and to the left of a person facing the rising sun. N
• North
  North

  noun

  Christopher, pen name of John Wilson.

north

¹ American  

[nawrth] / nɔrθ /

noun

1. a cardinal point of the compass, lying in the plane of the meridian and to the left of a person facing the rising sun. N

2. the direction in which this point lies.

3. (usually initial capital letter) a region or territory situated in this direction.

4. the North, the northern area of the United States, especially the states that fought to preserve the Union in the Civil War, lying to the north of the Ohio River, and usually including Missouri and Maryland.

5. (initial capital letter) North Country.

6. the north wind.

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adjective

1. in, toward, or facing, the north.

   the north gate.

2. directed or proceeding toward the north.

   a north course.

3. coming from the north.

   a north wind.

4. (usually initial capital letter) designating the northern part of a region, nation, country, etc..

   North Atlantic.

adverb

1. to, toward, or in the north.

   sailing north.

North ² American  

[nawrth] / nɔrθ /

noun

1. Christopher, pen name of John Wilson.

2. Frederick, 2nd Earl of Guilford Lord North, 1732–92, British statesman: prime minister 1770–82.

3. Sir Thomas, 1535?–1601?, English translator.

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north ¹ British  

/ nɔːθ /

noun

1. one of the four cardinal points of the compass, at 0° or 360°, that is 90° from east and west and 180° from south

2. the direction along a meridian towards the North Pole

3. the direction in which a compass needle points; magnetic north

4. (often capital) any area lying in or towards the north

5. cards (usually capital) the player or position at the table corresponding to north on the compass

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adjective

1. situated in, moving towards, or facing the north

2. (esp of the wind) from the north

adverb

1. in, to, or towards the north

2. archaic (of the wind) from the north

North ² British  

/ nɔːθ /

noun

1. the northern area of England, generally regarded as reaching approximately the southern boundaries of Yorkshire and Lancashire

2. (in the US) the area approximately north of Maryland and the Ohio River, esp those states north of the Mason-Dixon Line that were known as the Free States during the Civil War

3. the northern part of North America, esp the area consisting of Alaska, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut; the North Country

4. the countries of the world that are economically and technically advanced

5. poetic the north wind

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adjective

1. 1. of or denoting the northern part of a specified country, area, etc

   2. ( as part of a name )

      North Africa

North ³ British  

/ nɔːθ /

noun

1. Frederick, 2nd Earl of Guildford, called Lord North. 1732–92, British statesman; prime minister (1770–82), dominated by George III. He was held responsible for the loss of the American colonies

2. Sir Thomas. ?1535–?1601, English translator of Plutarch's Lives (1579), which was the chief source of Shakespeare's Roman plays

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Etymology

Origin of north

before 900; Middle English, Old English, cognate with Dutch noord, German Nord, Old Norse northr

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

north North

Built on a jungle island roughly 85 miles north of the equator, Singapore is no stranger to cicadas.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026

They produce 60 tonnes of the sweet yet smelly fruit, which is driven in frozen containers thousands of kilometres north into China.

From Barron's ● Aug. 30, 2026

Most areas will still see some drier and sunnier moments through the three days, with parts of north and west Scotland perhaps seeing very little rainfall at all.

From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026

The regional maritime insecurity has driven some ships closer to the Somali coast as they divert south to avoid the conflict further north.

From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026

He knew that the High Mountains were far in the east, beyond the Deep Forest, and that they curved from north to south, arching out of the Forest like the spine of an enormous whale.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

The country of 400,000 people doesn’t have a military of its own and depends on its membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and a defense pact with the U.S. for security.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026

Also, this specimen, borrowed from the Ducati North America’s press fleet, was a rolling showroom of touring/overlanding accessories, notably the two aluminum cargo boxes mounted pannier-style.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026

Fery faces Ignacio Buse in Saturday's final in North Carolina after the 22-year-old beat France's Benjamin Bonzi 6-2 4-6 6-1.

From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026

Hankerson said that he drove to North Carolina to see his mom and was kept from being alone with her.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2026

Since then, Duane had been exploring more and more of the Very, Very Far North, including the other side of the river where Major Puff and the hare now shared a burrow.

From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el

Related Words

• northward