southerly

American  

[suhth-er-lee] / ˈsʌð ər li /

adjective

1. toward the south.

   a southerly course.

2. (especially of a wind) coming from the south.

   a gentle southerly breeze.

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noun

• southerlies
  plural

1. a wind that blows from the south.

southerly British  

/ ˈsʌðəlɪ /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or situated in the south

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adverb

1. towards or in the direction of the south

2. from the south

   a southerly wind

noun

1. a wind from the south

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• southerliness
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• southerlies
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of southerly

1545–55; south + -erly ( see easterly)

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

southerly southerlies

These waves, combined with an incoming long-period southerly swell, will cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026

Leaving Roz on shore, I headed out Shallotte Inlet to the open ocean, where southerly winds of 10-12 knots were chasing up one-foot seas.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026

On Tuesday afternoon, the National Weather Service in Los Angeles was forecasting elevated surf and strong rip currents at beaches this weekend and into next week as a result of multiple southerly swells.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026

Later, the jet stream will take on a more southerly path, flowing faster and straighter towards our shores.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

“We don’t have a minute! Fires—we need vials of Greek fire. Jason, call the winds. Warm, southerly winds.”

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

The weather is entirely different than it used to be, just look at the lack of southerlies bringing rain this season, he says.

From The Guardian ● Jan. 3, 2020

These waters in particular, provide some level of lee to the prevailing southerlies.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 2, 2011

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