English Reference

Word

northbound

Phoneticsnorth·bound

US/ˈnɔɹθbaʊnd/

UK/nˈɔːθbaʊnd/

Definition

adj. moving or leading toward the north. You use this to describe a road, a vehicle, or a person's direction.

adj. moving, directed, or leading toward the north. Often used in the context of transport and navigation.

Examples

“We are waiting for the northbound train.”

“Heavy traffic is building up on the northbound side of the highway due to construction.”

“The migratory birds follow a northbound route every spring, stopping at the same wetlands to rest before continuing their journey toward the arctic.”

Examples

simple

“We are waiting for the northbound train.”

contextual

“Heavy traffic is building up on the northbound side of the highway due to construction.”

complex

“The migratory birds follow a northbound route every spring, stopping at the same wetlands to rest before continuing their journey toward the arctic.”

Usage

Typically used as an attributive adjective before a noun, but can also function as a predicative adjective after a linking verb.

Etymology

From north + -bound.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Collocations

northbound carriageway

This entry

Level
B1 · Intermediate
Frequency
Frequent
Updated

Scan code

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English Reference