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; north, east

Example Sentences

The most notable gatherings took place in the capital Tehran, where strikes have ceased since a fragile ceasefire came into effect on Tuesday night, as well as the northwest city of Urmia and northeast Gorgan.

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

Council District 1 includes core parts of northeast and northwest Los Angeles including Glassell Park, Chinatown, Echo Park and Koreatown.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026

The Anatoly Kolodkin, which is carrying 730,000 barrels of crude, was off northeast Cuba on Sunday evening and is expected to dock in the western port of Matanzas by Tuesday, according to shipping tracker MarineTraffic.

From Barron's • Mar. 29, 2026

My AI-planned trip landed me in gorgeous Saltburn-by-the-Sea in northeast England last week.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

The plan was to shoot west until they hit a string of islands a trapper had shown him, and then bow northeast until the swamp dried up.

From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead