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Synonyms

northbound

American  
[nawrth-bound] / ˈnɔrθˌbaʊnd /

adjective

  1. going toward the north.

    northbound traffic.
northbound British  
/ ˈnɔːθˌbaʊnd /

adjective

  1. going or leading towards the north

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of northbound

An Americanism dating back to 1880–85; north + -bound 2

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

According to police, the Public Works street-sweeping truck was traveling south on Vista Del Mar on its scheduled route when a northbound SUV collided with it head-on.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 5, 2026

Police said they were notified of the missing statue at 20:00 GMT and that the suspects were last seen traveling northbound towards Bromley-by-Bow Underground station.

From BBC • Feb. 3, 2026

A spokesperson said the agency shut down the northbound and southbound offramps to Wilshire Boulevard to prevent protesters from potentially taking over the freeway.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 11, 2026

National Highways said the southbound carriageway of the A46 - between the A606 at Hickling and the B676 near Six Hills - had been shut, with a lane also closed on the northbound side.

From BBC • Jan. 2, 2026

Good sense stopped me from saying it, but the man smelt worst than something warm that dropped out the south end of a sick northbound goat.

From "The Journey of Little Charlie" by Christopher Paul Curtis

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.