Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

true north

American  

noun

Navigation, Surveying.
  1. the direction of the north pole from a given point.


true north British  

noun

  1. Also called: geographic north.  the direction from any point along a meridian towards the North Pole Compare magnetic north

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

true north Scientific  

Compare meaning

How does true-north compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

His business, True North Engravings, is inspired by post-apocalyptic and survival games.

From BBC

The speech concluded on a similar note: "As the anthem reminds us: The True North is indeed strong and free!"

From BBC

“It has truly been the honor of a lifetime to work with each of you every day, keeping journalism as our true north and our viewers at the center of everything we do.”

From Los Angeles Times

And building an audience presents a different challenge on each platform; for example, Meta-owned Facebook and Instagram encourage creators to pay to target their content to particular types of viewers, while building an audience on TikTok is more organic, said Kellis Landrum, co-founder of Los Angeles marketing agency True North Social.

From Los Angeles Times

They must be overlaid with aerial imagery and gridded coordinates, “oriented true north” and “contain site-specific labeling” for rooms, doors, hallways, stairwells, utility locations, hazards, key boxes, trauma kits and automated external defibrillators.

From Seattle Times