Meaning & use
north-east or northeast
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountable
The direction that is halfway between north and east, or the part of a place that lies in that direction.
Grammar: Used without 'the' when talking about direction: 'The wind is from the north-east.' Use 'the' before a region: 'the north-east of the country.'
Patterns
- from the north-east
- in the north-east
- to the north-east
The town lies about ten miles to the north-east of the capital.
A cold wind blew from the north-east all night.
Heavy snow is expected in the north-east tomorrow.
adjectivebefore a noun
Located in or coming from the direction between north and east.
Grammar: Comes before a noun: 'the north-east corner'. It can also follow a verb: 'The room faces north-east.'
Patterns
- north-east corner
- north-east wind
- north-east coast
They live on the north-east coast of the island.
A north-east wind brought rain and fog.
The north-east entrance is closed for repairs.
adverb
Toward the direction between north and east.
Grammar: Used after verbs of movement: 'The road runs north-east for five miles.' No preposition needed.
Patterns
- head north-east
- travel north-east
- run north-east
We drove north-east for two hours before stopping.
The river flows north-east toward the sea.
The birds fly north-east in the spring.
Common combinations
- the north-east of
- She grew up in the north-east of Scotland.
- north-east corner
- Meet me at the north-east corner of the park.
- north-east wind
- A bitter north-east wind kept everyone indoors.
- to the north-east of
- The airport is to the north-east of the city center.
Synonyms and how they differ
- NE
- Abbreviation often used on maps and in weather reports; less formal than the full word.
Opposites
Word family
- north-easterly adjective
- Blowing from or directed toward the north-east: a north-easterly wind.
- north-eastern adjective
- Relating to the north-east part of a place: the north-eastern region.
Commonly confused: north-east or northeast or north-west?
north-east or northeast vs north-west
North-west is the direction between north and west, the opposite side of the compass from north-east.
Practice
The wind is blowing ___ the north-east, so it feels cold.
Choose one answer.
We say 'from the north-east' to show where the wind comes from. 'To' would mean the wind is blowing toward that direction, which is not what we mean here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “north-east or northeast”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.