Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
⬆️ Going north 💻 Upward data flow
northbound

northbound

28 2.5
Going toward the north on a road or train
  • adjective
  • /ˈnɔrθˌbaʊnd/
: hacia el norte
  • The rain had started up again by the time they were northbound on the 405.
  • northbound lane
  • northbound train
  • northbound traffic

Examples

  • Every northbound train from the southern Mexican town of Arriaga, Chiapas, carries hundreds of these people.

    Academic text (2012)

  • Chemical spill closes northbound I-5 for more than 4 hours.

    Blog text (6)

  • Unit one, go ahead and block all northbound traffic.

    The Mule (2018)

  • All right, lock down all northbound routes.

    Flypaper (2011)

  • I'm northbound, through Elysian Park.

    CHiPS (2017)

  • The idea is to inhibit the northbound migration of people and drugs.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • Suspect on northbound train.

    Captain Marvel (2019)

  • The ship was northbound.

    Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation (1962)

  • The other crash occurred at approximately 8:20 p.m. on the northbound side of Highway 101, just south of Oyster Point.

    Blog text (18)

  • The police directed all northbound traffic to use the detour instead.

Synonyms

northward
vsnorthbound
5 2.0

Moving or facing toward the north

refers specifically to vehicles or travelers moving toward the north
northerly
vsnorthbound
1 2.2

Towards the north

focuses on actual movement of vehicles or people toward the north

Antonyms

southbound
30 2.1

Moving toward the south, often describing vehicles or routes

Surface Forms

northbound positive

Morphology

northbound = north + bound (transparent) = north + bound

The meaning 'heading toward the north' is a direct, literal combination of 'north' + 'bound' and is easily inferred by learners.

Etymology

Northbound comes from two simple parts: north, the direction on a map, and bound, meaning 'heading to'. So it describes vehicles or people moving 'toward the north'.