southeast

1 of 3

adverb

south·​east sau̇th-ˈēst How to pronounce southeast (audio)
nautical sau̇-ˈēst
: to, toward, or in the southeast

southeast

2 of 3

noun

1
a
: the general direction between south and east
b
: the point midway between the south and east compass points
2
Southeast : regions or countries lying to the southeast of a specified or implied point of orientation

southeast

3 of 3

adjective

1
: coming from the southeast
a southeast wind
2
: situated toward or at the southeast
the southeast corner

Examples of southeast in a Sentence

Adverb It's a few miles southeast of here. Noun A mountain range is in the southeast of the country. Rain is moving into the Southeast. He grew up in the Southeast. Adjective My office is in the southeast corner of the building.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adverb
Be outside about two hours after sunset, face southeast and allow your eyes 15 to 20 minutes to adapt. — Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026 On Thursday, windows and doors at the formerly wide-open home, about 60 miles southeast of Columbus, had been boarded up. — Julie Carr Smyth, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026
Noun
Winds will be out of the southeast at five to 15 miles per hour. — Aaron Mentkowski, New York Times, 5 July 2026 Saturn is in a fine position to be viewed just before the break of dawn in the east-southeast. — Joe Rao, Space.com, 1 July 2026
Adjective
This is southeast of Garden City, about an hour drive south of downtown Kansas City. — Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 5 July 2026 Southern Connecticut, Rhode Island and southeast Massachusetts are also expected to get heavy rain. — Kenton Gewecke, ABC News, 6 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for southeast

Word History

First Known Use

Adverb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of southeast was before the 12th century

Phrases Containing southeast

Rhymes for southeast

See All Rhymes for southeast

Browse Nearby Words

South Dublin
southeast
Southeast Asia
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Southeast.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/southeast. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

southeast

1 of 3 adverb
south·​east sau̇-ˈthēst How to pronounce southeast (audio)
nautical sau̇-ˈēst
: to or toward the southeast

southeast

2 of 3 noun
1
: the direction between south and east
2
capitalized : regions or countries southeast of a point that is mentioned or understood

southeast

3 of 3 adjective
1
: situated toward or at the southeast
the southeast corner
2
: coming from the southeast
a southeast wind

More from Merriam-Webster on southeast

Nglish: Translation of southeast for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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