west by north

American

noun

Navigation, Surveying.

a point on the compass 11°15prime; north of west. WbN

west by north British

noun

one point on the compass north of west, 281° 15′ clockwise from 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

adjective

in, from, or towards this direction

"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

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.

The most northern cape of the same mass bore west by north.

From Project Gutenberg

The wind blew from the west, veering occasionally to the north and to w.n.w., but during the height of the gale it blew west by north.

From Project Gutenberg

Dudley, a town and parliamentary borough of England, in an isolated part of Worcestershire enclosed by Staffordshire, 8 miles west by north of Birmingham.

From Project Gutenberg

Iliniza, which stands west by north of Cotopaxi, has two pyramidal peaks, and is one of the most interesting mountains of the Ecuadorean group.

From Project Gutenberg

We started at half past six, our course being west by north.

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023