southward
gb/sˈaʊθwɚd/ us/sˈaʊθwɚd/
B2
English
dél felé, déli irányú, dél felé tartó, dél
B2
1
dél felé
A2
Usage pattern:
move/head/travel [southward]
As the storm approached, the winds shifted and blew southward.
Ahogy közeledett a vihar, a szelek irányt váltottak, és dél felé fújtak.
We drove southward for three hours before we reached the coast.
Három órán át autóztunk dél felé, mielőtt elértük a partot.
The flock drifted southward as the temperature dropped.
Learner examples
The birds fly southward in winter.
A madarak télen dél felé repülnek.
We walked southward to the river.
Dél felé sétáltunk a folyóhoz.
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse the adverb (move southward) with the adjective (a southward journey).
Meaning
toward the south
Collocations
move southward
|head southward
|travel southward
|drive southward
|drift southward
|push southward
|spread southward
|extend southward
|migrate southward
|march southward
Synonyms
south (More common and shorter; used the same way in many contexts.)
|
to the south (A phrase, often clearer in writing than the single word.)
Antonyms
northward (Toward the north.)
Themes
directions
|travel
|geography
Definition
toward the south
Toward the south; in the direction of the south.
B2
2
déli irányú
B2
Usage pattern:
[a/the] southward [journey/route/movement/flow]
They took a southward route to avoid the mountain roads.
Déli irányú útvonalat választottak, hogy elkerüljék a hegyi utakat.
A southward flow of cold air is expected overnight.
Éjszakára déli irányú hideglevegő-áramlás várható.
The whales began their southward migration in early autumn.
Learner examples
We planned a southward trip.
Dél felé tartó utat terveztünk.
This road is the southward route.
Ez az út vezet dél felé.
Common mistake:
Do not use southward to mean 'in the south' (use southern or in the south).
Meaning
going toward the south
Collocations
southward journey
|southward route
|southward movement
|southward expansion
|southward shift
|southward flow
|southward trend
|southward migration
|southward current
|southward trajectory
Synonyms
southbound (Often used for transport (a southbound train/bus) and sounds slightly more fixed.)
|
southerly (More common for winds or directions (a southerly wind) and can mean 'from the south.')
Antonyms
northward (Directed toward the north.)
|
northbound (Often used for transport going north.)
Themes
directions
|travel
|geography
Definition
going toward the south
Directed toward the south or moving in that direction.
NOUN
C1
FORMAL
3
dél
A1
Usage pattern:
to the southward (of) [place]
The island lies some miles to the southward of the mainland.
A sziget néhány mérfölddel a szárazföldtől délre fekszik.
The ship kept to the southward to avoid the worst of the ice.
A hajó délebbre tartott, hogy elkerülje a legsűrűbb jeget.
Clouds gathered to the southward by late afternoon.
Common mistake:
This noun use is uncommon in everyday speech; most people say 'the south' or 'to the south.'
Meaning
the direction toward the south
Collocations
to the southward
|far to the southward
|a change to the southward
|the southward of [place]
Synonyms
the south (Much more common in modern everyday English.)
|
southern direction (More explicit and modern-sounding.)
Antonyms
the north (The opposite direction/area.)
Themes
directions
|geography
|nautical
Definition
the direction toward the south
The direction or area toward the south (often used in older, formal, or nautical contexts).
Grammar
Dictionary form
southward
IPA
GB/sˈaʊθwɚd/
US/sˈaʊθwɚd/
Syllables & stress
south - ward (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (south)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: southward
Expressions
southward bound
1/sˈaʊθwɚd bˈaʊnd/
fixed phrase
traveling toward the south
going south
Examples
- We boarded a southward bound train just after noon.
- By September, many birds are southward bound.
- The convoy turned and became southward bound at dawn.
Learner examples
- The bus is southward bound.
to the southward
1/tə ðə sˈaʊθwɚd/
fixed phrase
formal
to the south of
to the south of a place
Examples
- The lighthouse is to the southward of the harbor entrance.
- A line of showers developed to the southward by evening.
- They steered to the southward to avoid rough seas.