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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.

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

Three lanes on the northbound stretch of the 5 Freeway at Los Feliz Boulevard remained closed midmorning because of the incident, he said.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 18, 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

Farther to the northwest, both northbound lanes at a truck bypass in Sylmar were flooded.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 24, 2025

It wasn’t their fault the one they were photographed at overflowed onto the highway, blocking all northbound and southbound lanes.

From "Dear Martin" by Nic Stone

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.