north-east

north-east — adverb

1. moving, facing, or looking toward the point on a compass that is exactly halfway

1.adverbB1
Definition

moving, facing, or looking toward the point on a compass that is exactly halfway between north and east

Example

Noa drove north-east along the coast road toward the small fishing village.

drove + north-east — direction after verb of motion

A cold wind was blowing from the north-east, so everyone put on their warm coats.

blowing from the north-east — source of wind

Common collocations
  • go north-east
  • head north-east
  • travel north-east
  • face north-east
  • run north-east
  • blow from the north-east
  • point north-east
Synonyms
  • north-easterly

    less precise in direction; also used for wind rather than travel

  • northeastward

    more formal and less common; mainly appears in written or nautical contexts

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

verb + north-east (e.g., travel north-east, face north-east)

Usage Note

In British English the hyphenated form 'north-east' is standard; American English typically writes 'northeast' as one word. This sense is most common after verbs of motion such as 'go', 'travel', 'head', 'turn', 'face', 'move', and 'run'.

Common Mistakes

The train goes to north-east
The train goes north-east
as an adverb, 'north-east' does not need the preposition 'to' before it.
They travelled to the north-east of the park' (when meaning direction)
They travelled north-east from the park
'the north-east' is a noun phrase for a region, while the bare 'north-east' is the adverb for direction.

2. used to show that a person or thing is less far from the north-east direction co

2.adverbB1
Definition

used to show that a person or thing is less far from the north-east direction compared with a different person or thing

Example

The village lies about fifteen kilometres north-east of the nearest market town.

north-east of [place] — relative position

Hannah's new flat is slightly north-east of the city centre, near the university campus.

Common collocations
  • north-east of
  • be north-east of
  • lie north-east of
  • situated north-east of
  • slightly north-east of
  • directly north-east of
Synonyms
Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

north-east of [place/landmark]

Usage Note

Always followed by 'of' when specifying the reference point. The reference point is typically a place name, landmark, or geographic feature. The sentence structure is: subject + be / lie / sit + north-east + of + reference point.

Common Mistakes

The town is north-east to the capital
The town is north-east of the capital
use 'of', not 'to', to show relative position.
My house is north-east from the station
My house is north-east of the station
use 'of', not 'from', after 'north-east'.

Word family

  • north-eastern
    adjectiveB1
  • north-easterly
    adjectiveB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/1

All four describe orientation toward the direction between north and east, but they differ in precision and use. 'North-east' is the most common and direct choice for movement ('They drove north-east') and is the standard adverb for travel. 'North-easterly' is vaguer — it suggests a general direction rather than an exact bearing, and is often used for wind ('a north-easterly breeze'). 'Northeastward' is a more formal, literary variant found mainly in written reports and navigation; it is far less frequent in everyday speech. 'To the north-east' is a prepositional phrase rather than a bare adverb; it works naturally with 'was' or 'lay' for positions ('The cabin was to the north-east of the lake'). For everyday travel directions, learners should default to plain 'north-east' after a motion verb.

north-east ↗north-easterlynortheastwardto the north-east

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • to the north-east
  • from the north-east
  • north-east of

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Combines the Old English words 'norþ' (north) and 'ēast' (east). The compound 'norþēast' was already used in Old English for the intermediate compass point. The hyphenated spelling 'north-east' became standard in British English, while American English later merged the two parts into 'northeast'.