1
: situated toward or at the north
the north entrance
2
: coming from the north
a north wind
1
a
: the direction of the north terrestrial pole : the direction to the left of one facing east
b
: the compass point directly opposite to south
2
capitalized
a
: regions or countries lying to the north of a specified or implied point of orientation
b
: the industrially and economically developed nations of the world compare south sense 5
3
often capitalized
a
: the one of four positions at 90-degree intervals that lies to the north or at the top of a diagram
b
: a person occupying this position in the course of a specified activity (such as the game of bridge)
Examples of north in a Sentence
Adverb
Turn north onto Elm Street.
It's a few miles north of here.
The bird is found as far north as Canada.
Noun
The wind is coming from the north.
The birds migrate from the North.
Parts of the North were hit hard by the storm.
I grew up in the North.
The American Civil War was between the North and the South.
Recent Examples on the Web
Andrea Adkins-Hutchins, Fortune, 10 Apr. 2024
Lows should end up near 60 or into the low 60s in many spots locally, with some upper 50s farther north and west.
—Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024
The Coquille, a coastal Oregon tribe, is planning a casino about 50 miles north in Medford, a city of 86,000 in the Rogue Valley.
—Hannah Wiley, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2024
The company has taken a slow and steady approach to expanding, however the first locations north and west of Texas have opened.
—James Powel, USA TODAY, 6 Apr. 2024
From Cactus Forest Road, turn north onto SR 79 and continue on through Florence.
From Coolidge:
From Valley Farms Road, turn east on Cactus Forest Road.
—Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 5 Apr. 2024
The district includes the cities of Appleton and Green Bay, Door County and covers mostly rural areas north through Marinette.
—CBS News, 4 Apr. 2024
Just north, several businesses line Industrial Drive including a fireworks warehouse, a gravel company and an auto body shop.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 4 Apr. 2024
That left everyone scratching their heads a bit, until Kish explained that there’s a picturesque peninsula three hours north called Door County.
Door County is known for its cherry production, and while those cherries would be the star of each dish, a mystery lay behind those doors.
—Rachel Bernhard, Journal Sentinel, 3 Apr. 2024
Nidal Al-Mughrabi, USA TODAY, 24 Mar. 2024
Focus areas for Safe Zone will be on Detroit’s north and south sides spanning from Curtis Avenue to Schoolcraft Road, and east and west orders from Wyoming Avenue to Hubbell Street.
—Detroit Free Press, 26 Aug. 2023
Currie Commons is a 187-unit complex under construction in the Harrison neighborhood of north Minneapolis, where the poverty rate exceeds 30%.
—Mark Niquette and Augusta Saraiva, Anchorage Daily News, 12 Aug. 2023
Storms on Tuesday afternoon took down a lot of trees and caused other wind damage in north Alabama.
—Leigh Morgan, al, 19 July 2023
Six minutes later, San Diego Police and California Highway Patrol received calls about a rollover crash involving a white convertible on north Interstate 805 at Clairemont Mesa Boulevard, police said.
—Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 July 2023
In a moment, the Pacific Plate shifted north by an average of 15 feet relative to its North American partner.
—WIRED, 15 June 2023
Some north Alabama counties have been dropped from the watch, but others have been added to the south: Storms overnight could be packing damaging wind gusts and hail, forecasters said.
—Leigh Morgan, al, 11 June 2023
Lake Como, an upside-down Y set in the Alpine foothills of north Lombardy, is Italy’s deepest body of water and its third largest.
—Richard Godwin, Travel + Leisure, 5 June 2023
David Streit, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2024
The moon's shadow cools a column of air that will move from south to north across the U.S., mixing things up.
—Geoff Brumfiel, NPR, 8 Apr. 2024
The fact that a few professionals using very ineffective instruments belonging to the global north are trying to contain these problems is increasing psychological suffering.
—Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Apr. 2024
Totality will move south to north, from Mexico through the midwestern U.S., and then cut over the coast into the north Atlantic.
—Samanth Subramanian, Quartz, 6 Apr. 2024
Birders in the far north might have to wait longer, as spring migration can extend into mid-June.
—Cecilia Garzella, USA TODAY, 29 Mar. 2024
With the Loire Valley’s vast wine regions spanning the Muscadet region on the western coast, all the way to the Sancerre region in the central north, there’s more to enjoy here than just wine.
—Monica Mendal, Vogue, 28 Mar. 2024
Temperatures will warm to highs in the mid-50s north to the lower 60s south.
—Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 22 Mar. 2024
Filming on location in France’s rural north, Dumont devises images as ecstatic, in rapturous natural settings, as Carl Theodor Dreyer does in starkly theatrical ones.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 19 Mar. 2024
Adverb
Juarez is flush with manufacturing, mostly of goods to be shipped north through El Paso bound for cities across the nation.
—Andrea Adkins-Hutchins, Fortune, 10 Apr. 2024
Lows should end up near 60 or into the low 60s in many spots locally, with some upper 50s farther north and west.
—Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024
The Coquille, a coastal Oregon tribe, is planning a casino about 50 miles north in Medford, a city of 86,000 in the Rogue Valley.
—Hannah Wiley, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2024
The company has taken a slow and steady approach to expanding, however the first locations north and west of Texas have opened.
—James Powel, USA TODAY, 6 Apr. 2024
From Cactus Forest Road, turn north onto SR 79 and continue on through Florence.
From Coolidge:
From Valley Farms Road, turn east on Cactus Forest Road.
—Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 5 Apr. 2024
The district includes the cities of Appleton and Green Bay, Door County and covers mostly rural areas north through Marinette.
—CBS News, 4 Apr. 2024
Just north, several businesses line Industrial Drive including a fireworks warehouse, a gravel company and an auto body shop.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 4 Apr. 2024
That left everyone scratching their heads a bit, until Kish explained that there’s a picturesque peninsula three hours north called Door County.
Door County is known for its cherry production, and while those cherries would be the star of each dish, a mystery lay behind those doors.
—Rachel Bernhard, Journal Sentinel, 3 Apr. 2024
Adjective
Al Shifa is one of the few healthcare facilities even partially operational in north Gaza, and - like others - had also been housing some of the nearly 2 million civilians - over 80% of Gaza's population - displaced by the war.
—Nidal Al-Mughrabi, USA TODAY, 24 Mar. 2024
Focus areas for Safe Zone will be on Detroit’s north and south sides spanning from Curtis Avenue to Schoolcraft Road, and east and west orders from Wyoming Avenue to Hubbell Street.
—Detroit Free Press, 26 Aug. 2023
Currie Commons is a 187-unit complex under construction in the Harrison neighborhood of north Minneapolis, where the poverty rate exceeds 30%.
—Mark Niquette and Augusta Saraiva, Anchorage Daily News, 12 Aug. 2023
Storms on Tuesday afternoon took down a lot of trees and caused other wind damage in north Alabama.
—Leigh Morgan, al, 19 July 2023
Six minutes later, San Diego Police and California Highway Patrol received calls about a rollover crash involving a white convertible on north Interstate 805 at Clairemont Mesa Boulevard, police said.
—Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 July 2023
In a moment, the Pacific Plate shifted north by an average of 15 feet relative to its North American partner.
—WIRED, 15 June 2023
Some north Alabama counties have been dropped from the watch, but others have been added to the south: Storms overnight could be packing damaging wind gusts and hail, forecasters said.
—Leigh Morgan, al, 11 June 2023
Lake Como, an upside-down Y set in the Alpine foothills of north Lombardy, is Italy’s deepest body of water and its third largest.
—Richard Godwin, Travel + Leisure, 5 June 2023
Noun
Confidence: Medium-High A weak storm zips out of the Great Lakes on Sunday just to our north.
—David Streit, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2024
The moon's shadow cools a column of air that will move from south to north across the U.S., mixing things up.
—Geoff Brumfiel, NPR, 8 Apr. 2024
The fact that a few professionals using very ineffective instruments belonging to the global north are trying to contain these problems is increasing psychological suffering.
—Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Apr. 2024
Totality will move south to north, from Mexico through the midwestern U.S., and then cut over the coast into the north Atlantic.
—Samanth Subramanian, Quartz, 6 Apr. 2024
Birders in the far north might have to wait longer, as spring migration can extend into mid-June.
—Cecilia Garzella, USA TODAY, 29 Mar. 2024
With the Loire Valley’s vast wine regions spanning the Muscadet region on the western coast, all the way to the Sancerre region in the central north, there’s more to enjoy here than just wine.
—Monica Mendal, Vogue, 28 Mar. 2024
Temperatures will warm to highs in the mid-50s north to the lower 60s south.
—Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 22 Mar. 2024
Filming on location in France’s rural north, Dumont devises images as ecstatic, in rapturous natural settings, as Carl Theodor Dreyer does in starkly theatrical ones.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 19 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'north.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near north
Cite this Entry
“North.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/north. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
north
1 of 3 adverb
: to or toward the north
north
2 of 3 adjective1
: placed or lying toward or at the north
the north entrance
2
: coming from the north
a north wind
north
3 of 3 noun1
a
: the direction to the left of one facing east
b
: the compass point opposite to south
2
capitalized
: regions or countries north of a point that is mentioned or understood
Biographical Definition
North
2 of 3biographical name (2)
Frederick 1732–1792 Lord North English statesman; prime minister (1770–82)
North
3 of 3biographical name (3)
Sir Thomas 1535–?1603 English translator
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