southwest

American  

[south-west, sou-west] / ˌsaʊθˈwɛst, ˌsaʊˈwɛst /

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.

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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 British  

/ 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

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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 British  

/ ˌsaʊθˈwɛst /

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

• southwestern adjective
• southwesternmost adjective

Etymology

Origin of southwest

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

Example Sentences

Mainland Scotland also showed elevated risk, particularly in Glasgow and southwest Scotland.

From Science Daily

A year after his appearance in Hazard, he traveled to southwest Virginia and stood on the picket line in solidarity with the striking miners.

From Salon

Neatly groomed and driven by anger about the treatment of his Nasa minority, Gomez is hunting for votes in a rebel‑controlled region of Colombia's lawless southwest.

From Barron's

Aerial views of the Garonne river in the Gironde department of southwest France.

From Barron's

At an appearance at the University of Mannheim in southwest Germany, Breuer, in his gray-jacketed dress uniform, sprang from his chair, transforming what had been an avuncular presence into one of studied intensity.

From The Wall Street Journal