Jump to:

• northwest
  northwest

  noun

  a point on the compass midway between north and west. NW
• Northwest
  Northwest

  noun

  the northwestern part of England, esp Lancashire and the Lake District

northwest

American  

[nawrth-west, nawr-west] / ˌnɔrθˈwɛst, ˌnɔrˈwɛst /

noun

1. a point on the compass midway between north and west. NW

2. a region in this direction.

3. the Northwest,

   1. the northwestern part of the United States, especially Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.

   2. the northwestern part of the United States when its western boundary was the Mississippi River.

   3. the northwestern part of Canada.

---

adjective

1. coming from the northwest.

   a northwest wind.

2. directed toward the northwest.

   sailing a northwest course.

adverb

1. from the northwest.

2. toward the northwest.

   sailing northwest.

northwest ¹ British  

/ ˌnɔːθˈwɛst, ˌnɔːˈwɛst /

noun

1. the point of the compass or direction midway between north and west, 315° clockwise from north

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

---

adjective

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

   northwest Greenland

adjective

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

Northwest ² British  

/ ˌnɔːθˈwɛst /

noun

1. the northwestern part of England, esp Lancashire and the Lake District

2. the northwestern part of the US, consisting of the states of Washington, Oregon, and sometimes Idaho

3. (in Canada) the region north and west of the Great Lakes

---

Other Word Forms

• northwestern
  adjective
• northwesternmost
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of northwest

before 900; Middle English, Old English; see north, west

Example Sentences

The local official told AFP that the train carrying army personnel and their family members was going from Quetta to Peshawar in Pakistan's northwest.

From Barron's • May 24, 2026

He said he wanted to see "re-industrialisation" of northwest England and a council house building programme "on a similar scale to the post-war period".

From BBC • May 17, 2026

The 101 is a major divider of wildlife habitat, particularly where the bridge will be built over a heavily traveled route northwest of Los Angeles.

From Los Angeles Times • May 17, 2026

None of the people on board the MV Hondius had symptoms when the cruise ship was anchored off Tenerife near northwest Africa early yesterday, according to the WHO.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 11, 2026

Cahokia Creek drained into a lake to the northwest, then went straight to the Mississippi, bypassing Cahokia altogether.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann