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.

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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

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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

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Other Word Forms

• northwestern adjective
• northwesternmost adjective

Etymology

Origin of northwest

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

Example Sentences

Council District 12 covers the northwest portion of the San Fernando Valley ,which includes the neighborhoods of Chatsworth, Granada Hills, Northridge and Porter Ranch.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026

The franchise took its first step toward that when it agreed to spend nearly $200 million for a property that used to host Arlington Park, a thoroughbred racetrack in Chicago’s northwest suburbs.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

He noted that Nigerian forces are also stretched thin, attending to southeastern separatists, armed "banditry" in the northwest and farmer-herder conflicts in central states.

From Barron's • Mar. 18, 2026

The vessel, a midsize tanker carrying Abu Dhabi crude, departed from Das Island, a major hub for offshore oil-and-gas processing and exports in the Persian Gulf 100 miles northwest of the United Arab Emirates mainland.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026

One day, two men were out hunting four miles northwest of Fairfax when they spotted a car at the bottom of a rocky swale.

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann