the point or direction midway between south and west. SW
a region in this direction.
the Southwest, the southwest region of the United States.
lying toward, situated in, or directed toward the southwest.
coming from the southwest, as a wind.
the point of the compass or the direction midway between west and south, 225° clockwise from north
any area lying in or towards this direction
(sometimes capital) of or denoting the southwestern part of a specified country, area, etc
southwest Italy
situated in or towards the southwest
(esp of the wind) from the southwest
before 900; Middle English; Old English sūthwest. See south, west
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The program’s first film will be the documentary “Butthole Surfers: The Hole Truth and Nothing Butt,” which debuted last year at South by Southwest and chronicles the history of the punk rock band.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 1, 2026
Lucy's principal investigator is based at the Boulder, Colorado, office of the Southwest Research Institute, which is headquartered in San Antonio.
From Science Daily • Jun. 25, 2026
The firm has had much success with beaten-down stocks, recently including Southwest Airlines and Dexcom.
From Barron's • Jun. 18, 2026
The Southwest Utah Public Health Department struggled to persuade parents to vaccinate their children despite the disease’s spread, said David Heaton, the department’s spokesman.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 13, 2026
We can deduce many of the answers by examining the well-established sequence in which various crops developed in Southwest Asia’s Fertile Crescent.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
