Pacific Northwest

American  

[puh-sif-ik nawrth-west] / pəˈsɪf ɪk ˌnɔrθˈwɛst /

noun

1. an imprecisely defined region of North America that is commonly held to include the U.S. states of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho and the Canadian province of British Columbia, with some designations extending the region south into northern California and/or north into Alaska and Yukon: often considered as much a historical, sociocultural region as a geographical one. PNW

---

Pacific Northwest British  

noun

1. the region of North America lying north of the Columbia River and west of the Rockies

---

Example Sentences

Kristie, 50, grew up camping around the Pacific Northwest with her family, and while she appreciated the access to nature, she hated sleeping in tents.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 30, 2026

The new findings, published in Science Advances, offer a rare look at how these massive systems evolve and raise new questions about earthquake risks in the Pacific Northwest.

From Science Daily • Apr. 29, 2026

This recounts the tragedy of a young man, Richard “Beebo” Russell, who in the throes of mental illness stole a plane and managed to take off into the Pacific Northwest.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026

The actress recently made her migration to the Pacific Northwest permanent with the purchase of a home near the Canadian set of her hit CBS drama.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 7, 2026

In the Pacific Northwest, there were thousands of earthquakes each year.

From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone