Meanings
- not comparableHeading or moving in a northerly direction; or of infrastructure, intended for travelling northwards.
She will leave on the northbound bus.
2 more examples
There are roadworks on the northbound carriageway.
Located on the northbound platform, the detached, timber-clad waiting room (a period Furness Railway structure) has been adapted into a pet-friendly, self-catering, two-bedroom holiday home complete with sun lounge and garden for those sunny Cumbrian days.
2025 October 15, Stephen Roberts, “Top 10: Railway retreats: St Bees, Cumbria”, in RAIL, number 1046, page 57
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*nér
- Proto-Indo-European*nŕ̥t(e)ros
- Proto-Germanic*nurþraz
- Proto-West Germanic*norþr
- Old Englishnorþ
- Middle Englishnorth
- Englishnorth
- Old Norsebúinn
- Middle Englishbownde
- Englishbound
- Englishnorthbound
Translations
Chinese Mandarin 北行, 北上
- 北行 (běixíng)heading or moving in a northerly direction
- 北上 (běishàng)toward the north
German nach Norden, Richtung Norden
- nach Nordenheading or moving in a northerly direction
- Richtung Nordenheading or moving in a northerly direction
- nach Nordentoward the north
- Richtung Nordentoward the north
Russian на се́вер
- на се́вер (na séver)toward the north
Swedish norrgående, norrut
- norrgåendeheading or moving in a northerly direction
- norruttoward the north
- norrgåendetoward the north
Cite this entry
northbound. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/northbound
“northbound.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/northbound. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “northbound,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/northbound.
Source: northbound on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.