What does "north" mean?
The direction towards the pole to the left-hand side of someone facing east, specifically 0°, or (on another celestial object) the direction towards the pole lying on the northern side of the invariable plane.
North
/nɔːθ/ adj, adv, name, noun, verb, slang
adj, adv, name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The direction towards the pole to the left-hand side of someone facing east, specifically 0°, or (on another celestial object) the direction towards the pole lying on the northern side of the invariable plane.
- Grammar: north is listed as adj, adv, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: northward, antarctic, arctic, austral.
- Useful contrasts: austral, meridional, southerly.
- Usage evidence: The cold north wind was roaring outside.
How to use "north"
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- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "north" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
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- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "north" in a final draft.
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Before you rely on this definition
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Compare nearby meanings
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Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "north" is acting as adj, adv, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
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3. Confirm with context
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Final meaning check
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Definitions
Noun
- 1 The direction towards the pole to the left-hand side of someone facing east, specifically 0°, or (on another celestial object) the direction towards the pole lying on the northern side of the invariable plane. countable, uncountable
"Minnesota is in the north of the USA."
- 2 a location in the northern part of a country, region, or city wordnet
- 3 The up or positive direction. countable, uncountable
"Stock prices are heading back towards the north."
- 4 the cardinal compass point that is at 0 or 360 degrees wordnet
- 5 The positive or north pole of a magnet, which seeks the magnetic pole near Earth's geographic North Pole (which, for its magnetic properties, is a south pole). countable, uncountable
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 the direction in which a compass needle points wordnet
- 7 Alternative letter-case form of North (“a northern region; the inhabitants thereof”). alt-of, countable, uncountable
"[…] and after independence the north clung to sugar production longer than the south, with the result that when the north took […]"
- 8 the direction corresponding to the northward cardinal compass point wordnet
- 9 In a church: the direction to the left-hand side of a person facing the altar. countable, uncountable
"If candidates stand on the liturgical south facing the presider and liturgical assistants on the liturgical north, it will present better visual lines for the congregation than if they stand facing east and west with their backs toward the congregation."
Verb
- 1 To turn or move toward the north. intransitive, obsolete
"When at B you had northed 3.71[…]"
Adjective
- 1 Of or pertaining to the north; northern. not-comparable
"He lived in north Germany."
- 2 Toward the north; northward. not-comparable
"The most dangerous ones are those that develop during October and November and that follow a north path affecting the western part of the island."
- 3 Of wind, from the north. not-comparable
"The north wind was cold."
- 4 Pertaining to the part of a corridor used by northbound traffic. not-comparable
"north highway 1"
- 5 Designating, or situated in, the liturgical north (in a church, the direction to the left-hand side of a person facing the altar). not-comparable
"[…] the high church had liked its clergy to preside at the Eucharist in an ad orientem position; the low church advocated what was called the north end position; but the Liturgical Movement asked the priest to take a basilical position, facing liturgical west, and now both Anglican factions could agree on this third position without either of them losing face."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 More or greater than. colloquial, not-comparable
"The wedding ended up costing north of $50,000."
Adjective
- 1 situated in or facing or moving toward or coming from the north wordnet
Adverb
- 1 Toward the north; northward; northerly.
"Switzerland is north of Italy."
Adverb
- 1 in a northern direction wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 The northern part of a region (alternative letter-case form of north), especially:; The northern states of the United States. US
- 2 A surname. countable, uncountable
- 3 The northern part of a region (alternative letter-case form of north), especially:; The Union during the American Civil War. US
"The North lost most battles early in the war."
- 4 A civil parish in Prince County, Prince Edward Island, Canada, named for its location. countable, uncountable
- 5 The northern part of a region (alternative letter-case form of north), especially:; The North of England, a cultural region. UK
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- 6 A town in Orangeburg County, South Carolina, United States, named after John North. countable, uncountable
- 7 The northern part of a region (alternative letter-case form of north), especially:; Northern Ireland. Ireland
- 8 A number of townships in the United States, including in Indiana (2), Minnesota, Missouri and Ohio, listed under North Township; most are named named for their location. countable, uncountable
- 9 The northern part of a region (alternative letter-case form of north), especially:; North Korea.
- 10 The northern part of a region (alternative letter-case form of north), especially:; The north of anywhere else.
"In 1903, I had adventured, for the first time, northwards, and it really was the North, as my objective was the Great North of Scotland Railway."
- 11 The northern part of a region (alternative letter-case form of north), especially:; A group of countries mainly lying north of the equator, including most of the West and the First World and much of the Second World.
"In economic terms, the North controls four-fifths of the income earned anywhere in the world."
Antonyms
Example
"The cold north wind was roaring outside."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "north"?
Common synonyms include: northward, antarctic, arctic, austral, azimuth, bearing.
How do you use "north" in a sentence?
The cold north wind was roaring outside.
How do you pronounce "north"?
Pronounced /nɔːθ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English north, from Old English norþ, from Proto-West Germanic *norþr, from Proto-Germanic *nurþrą, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *nér (“below (the surface)”). The meaning developed either from "region where the sun is below (the earth)" or from "left side of someone who turns to the east when praying". Cognates Cognate with various Germanic counterparts such as Yola noardth, nordh (“north”), North Frisian noor, nord, nuurd, Nuurđ (“north”), Saterland Frisian Noude, Nudde (“north”), West Frisian noard (“north”), Dutch noord (“north”), German Nord (“north”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål and Norwegian Nynorsk nord (“north”), Faroese, Icelandic norður (“north”), Swedish nord, norr (“north”); also with Ancient Greek νέρτερος (nérteros), ἐνέρτερος (enérteros, “below”), Russian нора (nora, “hole”), Lithuanian nėrõvė (“mermaid, nymph”), Oscan 𐌍𐌄𐌓𐌕𐌓𐌀𐌊 (nertrak, “left”), Umbrian nertru (“left”), Sanskrit नरक (naraka, “hell”), Tocharian B ñor (“below”).
Etymology 2
English surname, from the adjective north. This is also translated from other surnames of the same meaning, such as Irish Mac an Ultaigh (“son of the Ulsterman”), Ulster being the northern part of Ireland.