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

They analyzed lithium isotopes in Ediacara fossils collected from Newfoundland and northwest Canada, studying specimens preserved in both sandy and muddy sediments.

From Science Daily

The military is stretched thin on other fronts as well, including fighting armed gangs known as "bandits" in the northwest and separatists in the southeast.

From Barron's

Dro, who is from Galicia in Spain's northwest, joined Barcelona's La Masia youth academy, considered the best in the world, in 2022 and has since made eight appearances for the club.

From Barron's

Last week's inaugural US-Nigeria Joint Working Group meeting came roughly a month after the US announced surprise Christmas Day strikes on IS-linked targets in northwest Nigeria.

From Barron's

After cutting ties with al Qaeda in 2016 and fighting against Islamic State and other rival groups, Sharaa spent years in hiding in northwest Syria’s Idlib province, waiting for an opportunity to strike the regime.

From The Wall Street Journal