Jump To:

• northeast
  northeast

  noun

  a point on the compass midway between north and east. NE
• Northeast
  Northeast

  noun

  the northeastern part of England, esp Northumberland, Durham, and the Tyneside area

northeast

American  

[nawrth-eest, nawr-eest] / ˌnɔrθˈist, ˌnɔrˈist /

noun

1. a point on the compass midway between north and east. NE

2. a region in this direction.

3. the Northeast, the northeastern part of the United States.

---

adverb

1. toward or in the northeast.

   sailing northeast.

adjective

1. coming from the northeast.

   a northeast wind.

2. directed toward the northeast.

   a northeast course.

northeast ¹ British  

/ ˌnɔːθˈiːst, ˌnɔːrˈiːst /

noun

1. the point of the compass or direction midway between north and east, 45° clockwise from north

2. (often capital) any area lying in or towards this direction

---

adjective

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

   northeast Lincolnshire

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

3. (esp of the wind) from the northeast

adverb

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

Northeast ² British  

/ ˌnɔːθˈiːst /

noun

1. the northeastern part of England, esp Northumberland, Durham, and the Tyneside area

---

Other Word Forms

• northeastern
  adjective
• northeasternmost
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of northeast

before 950; Middle English, Old English; see north, east

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

northeast Northeast

Once home to mostly working-class Latino families, neighborhoods along the river in northeast L.A. have seen home prices surge for years.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

Iranians were preparing on Thursday to bury their slain leader Ali Khamenei in his hometown of Mashhad in northeast Iran, as new US strikes threatened to trigger a fresh escalation in the Middle East war.

From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026

Operators of a new $53.8 million development in northeast Portland, built with the tax credit and the local housing bond, had trouble filling studio and one-bedroom apartments whose affordable rents were near market rate.

From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026

Along the Pacific coast, such values clashed with those of the merchants and seafarers who had relocated from the American northeast.

From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026

We live on the other side, to the northeast, and we’re going to have to go thru the town to get there so here it comes, as fast as I can get thru it.

From "The Knife of Never Letting Go" by Patrick Ness

"Above average temperatures and dangerous levels of heat are forecast to enter the Northeast on Tuesday before the most intense heat occurs on Wednesday and expands into the Mid-Atlantic," said the US National Weather Service.

From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026

Amtrak canceled some trains in the Northeast because of excessive heat that could affect the tracks.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 5, 2026

Temperatures are hitting the mid- to upper 90s in many places across the Northeast.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 2026

The effects are already being felt across the Northeast.

From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2026

In spring and summer she will return to the Northeast, dividing her time among her son, her daughter, and her close Bengali friends.

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri