southwest

[south-west, sou-west]

noun

1. the point or direction midway between south and west. SW

2. a region in this direction.

3. the Southwest, the southwest region of the United States.

adjective

1. lying toward, situated in, or directed toward the southwest.

2. coming from the southwest, as a wind.

adverb

1. in the direction midway between south and west.

southwest

¹

/ ˌsaʊˈwɛst, ˌsaʊθˈwɛst /

noun

1. the point of the compass or the direction midway between west and south, 225° clockwise from north

2. any area lying in or towards this direction

adjective

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

   southwest Italy

2. situated in or towards the southwest

3. (esp of the wind) from the southwest

adverb

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

Southwest

²

/ ˌsaʊθˈwɛst /

noun

1. the southwestern part of Britain, esp Cornwall, Devon, and Somerset

Other Word Forms

• southwestern adjective
• southwesternmost adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of southwest¹

before 900; Middle English; Old English sūthwest. See south, west

Example Sentences

Based on the team's calculations, the NAA appears to be moving southwest across the North American lithosphere at about 20 kilometers per million years.

Read more on Science Daily

The display in posh Kingston upon Thames in southwest London at first glance seems to depict a jolly crowd enjoying the festive season.

Read more on Barron's

A small merchant ship, in the early thirteenth century BCE was making its way between two of the five tiny islands off Cape Gelidonya on the southwest coast of Turkey.

Read more on Literature

It is due to open a new factory in Swindon in southwest England at the end of November.

Read more on BBC

Plus the sea temperatures to our southwest are as much as 2C above average, which adds to the equation.

Read more on BBC