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
capitalized : 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
Adverb
Two tornadoes were confirmed outside of Madison, Indiana, one in Hanover and another in Switzerland County, about 100 miles southeast of Indianapolis, according to the Indiana Emergency Management Agency. Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 15 Mar. 2024 One of the Ukrainian drones struck an oil refinery in the Ryazan region, about 100 miles southeast of Moscow, causing a fire that was extinguished after a few hours, local governor Pavel Malkov said. Natalia Abbakumova, Washington Post, 13 Mar. 2024 An eel’s life American eels hatch about 3,700-miles miles southeast of the Hudson in the salty Sargasso Sea. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 13 Mar. 2024 Police say that the shooting occurred when a vehicle pulled up to the residence in King City, located about 62 miles southeast of Monterey. Sara Smart, CNN, 4 Mar. 2024 The Musgraves operate the school near Piedmont, a town of roughly 1,900 residents more than 300 miles southeast of Kansas City. Laura Bauer, Kansas City Star, 3 Mar. 2024 The first interracial, coeducational college is in Ohio Oberlin College, a private liberal arts college located approximately 30 miles southeast of Cleveland, was the first university in the U.S. to implement an official policy allowing for the admittance of female and Black students. Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 1 Mar. 2024 Price is about 115 miles southeast of Salt Lake City. Daniella Segura, Sacramento Bee, 1 Mar. 2024 The volcano is located about 45 miles southeast of Mexico City, and about 25 million people live within 60 miles of it, according to the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service. Ingrid Vasquez, Peoplemag, 29 Feb. 2024
Noun
About three-quarters of an inch is predicted, with higher amounts possible well north and northwest of Washington, and somewhat lower totals to the southeast. Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024 Located an hour drive southeast of the city of Toulouse between the walled city of Carcassonne and the Black Mountains—Montagne Noir—local geography here includes a meld of landscapes from two sides of the country—Mediterranean (rocky scrub) and Atlantic (forests and meadows). Tom Mullen, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2024 Forecasters are predicting up to 8 inches of snow to hit parts of southeast Michigan mostly on Friday. Brian Manzullo, Detroit Free Press, 23 Feb. 2024 In the southeast of the island, the ridge coincides with a searing hot column of molten rock, known as a hot spot, which drives even more volcanic fury. Maya Wei-Haas, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Feb. 2024 As migration patterns to the southeast create more demand for housing and less housing is being built, there will likely be a potential uptick in rental rates, especially for workforce Class B assets—a segment known for its resilience and steady demand. Danny Kattan, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024 City staff studied the contours of the district and decided to allow no more than two on-sale liquor licenses in the northwest corners of the zone, no more than three in its northeast corners, no more than two in the southwest and no more than two in the southeast. Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 12 Feb. 2024 Stretches of Long Beach, southeast L.A. County and much of northern Orange County would be underwater, according to a scenario by the U.S. Geological Survey. Rong-Gong Lin Ii, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2024 Boulder City is about 26 miles (40 kilometers) southeast of Las Vegas, where the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers are set to play in Super Bowl 58 on Sunday. Adam Beam, Chinedu Asadu and Stefanie Dazio, Quartz, 11 Feb. 2024
Adjective
The Tomey family also owns and operates The Tomey Group, which owns more than 50 Jimmy John’s locations across southeast Michigan and a Chicken Guy restaurant. Detroit Free Press, 15 Mar. 2024 Another Level 2 risk zone covers southeast Mississippi and central Alabama, mainly near Interstate 59-20, and includes Birmingham. Scott Dance, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024 The tropical storm made landfall in Mozambique on the March 12 after strengthening off the coast of southeast Africa, bringing strong winds and heavy rain to Mozambique's Inhambane and Gaza provinces. Emma Ogao, ABC News, 14 Mar. 2024 In Wisconsin the leading causes of wildfires is debris burning, with equipment issues second, said Marc Sass, a state Department of Natural Resources cooperative area forest ranger in southeast Wisconsin. David Clarey, Journal Sentinel, 14 Mar. 2024 The watch has also been extended in some counties in southeast Indiana and southern Ohio, including Clermont County. Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 14 Mar. 2024 Police said evidence collected at the scene indicated that a Toyota Rav4 driving eastbound on Highway 20, also known on that stretch as Colusa Highway, smashed into a light pole on the southeast side of the intersection. Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 28 Feb. 2024 Residents of the city's southeast side have waited years for the opening of the United States Postal Service distribution center on Brookville Road and that time is nearly here. Jen Guadarrama, The Indianapolis Star, 4 Mar. 2024 The combined prevalence of both forms of malnutrition has increased in most countries—with the exception of some sub-Saharan African and south and southeast Asian countries—mainly driven by the global rise in obesity, according to the Lancet study’s authors. Arianna Johnson, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'southeast.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Dictionary Entries Near southeast

Cite this Entry

“Southeast.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/southeast. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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