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; north, east

Example Sentences

Riverside County valleys were under a wind advisory by the National Weather Service on Friday, with constant northeast winds expected to blow between 15 and 30 mph, with gusts up to 50 mph at times.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

It’s now abnormally dry in about one-fourth of California, largely in the northeast, according to the U.S.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

The Victorian-era town with dramatic cliffs is on the windswept northeast coast and was developed as a resort by a Quaker mining and railroad magnate in 1861.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026

"We'd be busy getting ready … cleaning the house, shopping for new clothes, sweets and snacks," says Mina, a woman in her 50s in Damavand, northeast of Tehran.

From BBC • Mar. 19, 2026

Amerinds, he concluded, had split off from northeast Asian groups about fourteen thousand years ago, which fit well “with the widely held view that the first Americans were the Clovis-culture big-game-hunting paleo-Indians.”

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann