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• 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.

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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

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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

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Other Word Forms

• northeastern
  adjective
• northeasternmost
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of northeast

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

Example Sentences

His father, who helped manage the new Burns Harbor plant for Bethlehem Steel, chose to move his family half an hour northeast along the dunes rather than west where more Black Midwesterners lived.

From Slate • May 7, 2026

That includes a new Samsung multibillion-dollar semiconductor facility, based around 30 miles northeast from Austin, and aerospace company Firefly.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

About 15 Iranian sailors will remain in Sri Lanka to operate the Irins Bushehr, which is anchored off Trincomalee in the northeast of the island.

From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026

Supporters of the measure include Lisa Baca of the Monteverde Ranch Equestrian Center in the northeast San Fernando Valley, who said horses are animals that can easily be spooked by facing moving e-bikes.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026

Then as a red sun rose they rowed out on the Osskil Sea, into the northeast winds that blow unhindered from the islandless vastness of the North Reach.

From "A Wizard of Earthsea" by Ursula K. Le Guin