north
- 1The direction toward the North Pole, on your left when facing east, bearing 0°; on other planets and moons, toward the pole on the same side of the solar system as Earth's North Pole.
Storm clouds were gathering to the north of the city.
The hikers lost their bearings in the fog and could no longer tell which way was north.
UsageUse in the north of for a northern part of a place, and to the north of for a position farther north.
Oppositesouth
- 2Located in or relating to the northern part of a place or thing.
The north wall of the house gets almost no direct sunlight.
The family farm is in north Georgia, near the mountains.
UsageNorth suits exact sides, the north wall, the north entrance; northern is more usual for wide areas: northern Europe.
Similarnorthern
- 3Toward the north, or lying to the north of something.
After the border crossing, the highway runs north through the mountains.
Canada lies north of the United States.
UsageUse it with no to: fly north (not
incorrect: fly to north), and north of a place for position.Similarnorthward, northwards
- 4The northern part of a country or region, such as the northern states of the US or the north of England.
Vietnam's North has cooler winters than the tropical South.
Many families from the North of England moved to London in search of steadier work.
UsageUse the: the North, the North of England. Capitalization varies by region and writing style.
OppositeSouth
- 5The country of North Korea, occupying the northern part of Korea.
Seoul offered to resume family reunions if the North agreed to new talks.
The defector crossed from the North by boat and was questioned for weeks in Seoul.
OppositeSouth
- 6Heading or directed toward the north, as of a route or the lanes of a highway carrying northbound traffic.
An accident closed the north lanes of the interstate for most of the morning.
The pilot turned onto a north heading after takeoff.
Similarnorthbound, northward, northerly
Oppositesouth, southbound, southward
Less common meanings
- 7More than, or greater than, a given amount, followed by of.
The new stadium is expected to cost north of $2 billion.
Her salary at the startup is now well north of what she earned at the bank.
UsageMostly with money: north of $2 billion; well north of means far more.
Oppositesouth
Note
Sums of money are its usual territory, and it borrows the picture behind the "upward" sense, where bigger figures sit higher. In the 1993 film Barbarians at the Gate an offer had better be north of the highest price the company has ever traded for.
Checked 3 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
- The numerical sense shares the metaphorical association of north with upwards. en.wikipedia.org
- Barbarians at the Gate is a film released in 1993. en.wikipedia.org
- The film contains dialogue requiring an offer to exceed the company's highest historical trading price. en.wiktionary.org
- 8In the American Civil War, the Union, as opposed to the Confederate South.
Early defeats forced the North to rethink its strategy and replace several generals.
The North's naval blockade gradually cut the South off from much of its overseas trade.
SimilarUnion
OppositeSouth, Confederacy
Note
In Civil War writing the North acts as a combatant, not just a region: it loses early battles, blockades the South and finally wins the war. The word stands for the Union government and its armies, and it casts the conflict as region against region.
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts
- The Union lost early Civil War battles. nps.gov
- The Union blockaded the Confederate South. history.state.gov
- The Union ultimately won the Civil War. home.nps.gov
- 9The upward or positive direction, especially of a number such as a price.
After a shaky spring, the company's share price is heading north again.
Both inflation and interest rates moved north last quarter, squeezing household budgets.
UsageMostly with head or move: prices heading north.
Oppositesouth
- 10Of a wind, blowing from the north.
A steady north wind kept the sailboats close to shore.
Forecasters expect north winds of up to 30 miles per hour tonight.
Similarnortherly
Note
Weather reverses the logic of the "heading north" adjective: a north track runs toward the north, but a north wind blows out of it, carrying air southward. Forecasters say northerly in the same sense, and in the Northern Hemisphere such winds often bring colder air.
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts
- A north wind blows from the north toward the south. weather.gov
- In forecasting, northerly wind likewise means wind blowing from north to south. cpc.ncep.noaa.gov
- Northerly winds often bring colder air in the Northern Hemisphere. weather.metoffice.gov.uk
- 11Northern Ireland, seen as the northern part of the island of Ireland.
She commutes from Dundalk across the border to a job in the North.
Politicians in Dublin and the North agreed to fund a new cross-border greenway.
OppositeSouth
- 12The world's wealthier, economically developed countries considered as a group, most but not all north of the equator; also called the Global North.
Critics argue that debt relief from the North has come with too many conditions.
The summit exposed a sharp divide between the North and the developing world over who should pay for climate damage.
OppositeSouth
Note
Wealth draws this boundary more than latitude does, so a few rich countries south of the equator still count as part of the North. The term is one half of a pair with the South, the poorer countries of the world, and is often lengthened to Global North when the contrast needs spelling out.
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts
- The North–South division reflects economic differences rather than a strict geographical boundary. en.wikipedia.org
- The Global North includes Southern Hemisphere countries, including Australia and New Zealand. ecozoicstudies.org
- The South denotes countries that are generally poorer than those of the North. bu.edu
- 13The positive pole of a magnet, the end drawn toward the magnetic pole near Earth's geographic North Pole, which is itself magnetically a south pole.
- 14In church usage, the side lying to the left of someone facing the altar, regardless of compass direction.
- 15Situated in or designating the liturgical north of a church, the side to the left of a person facing the altar.
- 16To turn toward the north, or to travel in a northward direction.
Showing meanings only.
Practice
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Origins
Old English norþ became Middle English north. It goes back to Proto-Germanic *nurþrą and ultimately to a Proto-Indo-European root *nér meaning "below the surface". Two explanations are offered: the north was where the sun lay below the earth, or it was the left-hand side of someone facing east to pray. Dutch noord and German Nord are related, and so, more distantly, is Ancient Greek nérteros ("below").
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 7 facts
- Old English norþ developed into Middle English north. en.wiktionary.org
- North derives from Proto-Germanic *nurþrą and ultimately Proto-Indo-European *nér, meaning below the surface. en.wiktionary.org
- One proposed explanation connects north with the region where the sun is below the earth. en.wiktionary.org
- Another proposed explanation connects north with the left side of someone facing east to pray. en.wiktionary.org
- Dutch noord and German Nord are related to English north. en.wiktionary.org
- Ancient Greek nérteros is more distantly related through the Indo-European root. en.wiktionary.org
- Ancient Greek nérteros can be glossed as below. folio.furman.edu
These regional names and place names come from north, the direction.
Checked 3 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
- North as a geographical proper name derives from north, the direction. en.wiktionary.org