SOUTHWEST

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does Southwest mean? 

• SOUTHWEST (noun)
  The noun SOUTHWEST has 4 senses:

1. the compass point midway between south and west; at 225 degrees

2. the southwestern region of the United States generally including New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, California, and sometimes Utah and Colorado

3. the direction corresponding to the southwestward compass point

4. a location in the southwestern part of a country, region, or city

  Familiarity information: SOUTHWEST used as a noun is uncommon.

• SOUTHWEST (adjective)
  The adjective SOUTHWEST has 2 senses:

1. coming from the southwest

2. situated in or oriented toward the southwest

  Familiarity information: SOUTHWEST used as an adjective is rare.

• SOUTHWEST (adverb)
  The adverb SOUTHWEST has 1 sense:

1. to, toward, or in the southwest

  Familiarity information: SOUTHWEST used as an adverb is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SOUTHWEST (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The compass point midway between south and west; at 225 degrees

Classified under:

Nouns denoting relations between people or things or ideas

Synonyms:

sou'-west; southwest; southwestward; SW

Hypernyms ("southwest" is a kind of...):

compass point; point (any of 32 horizontal directions indicated on the card of a compass)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The southwestern region of the United States generally including New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, California, and sometimes Utah and Colorado

Classified under:

Nouns denoting spatial position

Synonyms:

Southwest; southwestern United States

Instance hypernyms:

geographic area; geographic region; geographical area; geographical region (a demarcated area of the Earth)

Meronyms (parts of "Southwest"):

Arizona; AZ; Grand Canyon State (a state in southwestern United States; site of the Grand Canyon)

CA; Calif.; California; Golden State (a state in the western United States on the Pacific; the 3rd largest state; known for earthquakes)

Battle Born State; Nev.; Nevada; NV; Sagebrush State; Silver State (a state in the western United States)

Land of Enchantment; N.M.; New Mexico; NM (a state in southwestern United States on the Mexican border)

Lone-Star State; Tex.; Texas; TX (the second largest state; located in southwestern United States on the Gulf of Mexico)

Domain member region:

arroyo (a stream or brook)

Holonyms ("Southwest" is a part of...):

West; western United States (the region of the United States lying to the west of the Mississippi River)

Sense 3

Meaning:

The direction corresponding to the southwestward compass point

Classified under:

Nouns denoting relations between people or things or ideas

Hypernyms ("southwest" is a kind of...):

direction (the spatial relation between something and the course along which it points or moves)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A location in the southwestern part of a country, region, or city

Classified under:

Nouns denoting spatial position

Hypernyms ("southwest" is a kind of...):

location (a point or extent in space)

• SOUTHWEST (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Coming from the southwest

Synonyms:

southwest; southwesterly

Context example:

the winds are southwesterly

Similar:

south (situated in or facing or moving toward or coming from the south)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Situated in or oriented toward the southwest

Synonyms:

southwest; southwesterly; southwestern

Similar:

south (situated in or facing or moving toward or coming from the south)

• SOUTHWEST (adverb)

Sense 1

Meaning:

To, toward, or in the southwest

Synonyms:

sou'west; south-west; southwest

 Context examples 

The mid-1100s saw one of the largest known droughts in the Southwest.

(Scientists chart a baby boom in southwestern Native Americans from 500 to 1300 A.D., NSF)

EXAMPLE(S): Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG), Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG).

(Clinical Trials Cooperative Group, NCI Thesaurus/BRIDG)

Researchers studied five crop systems in southwest Michigan.

(Scientists discover new mechanism for how soils store carbon, National Science Foundation)

A country in Central South America, southwest of Brazil.

(Bolivia, Plurinational State of, NCI Thesaurus/CDISC)

However, scientists in the newly published study say they realize there is another major source of ice melt, in the country's southwest region, which is mostly devoid of large glaciers.

(Study: Greenland's Ice Melting Faster than Previously Thought, VOA)

Researchers say there is a submerged continent in the southwest Pacific Ocean, that should be considered an eighth continent.

(Researchers Argue for Eighth Continent: Zealandia, VOA)

The signature of organics is very clear on the floor of Ernutet Crater, on its southern rim and in an area just outside the crater to the southwest.

(Dawn Discovers Evidence for Organic Material on Ceres, NASA)

A country in central South America, southwest of Brazil.

(Bolivia, Plurinational State of, NCI Thesaurus)

Looking at maize, the phenomenon caused 38 per cent of production variance in northeast Brazil, 20 per cent in southwest Mexico and 15 per cent in West Africa.

(El Niño linked to widespread crop failures, SciDev.Net)

A country in central Europe, southeast of Germany and southwest of Poland.

(Czech Republic, NCI Thesaurus)