Northwest Passage

noun

1. a ship route along the Arctic coast of Canada and Alaska, joining the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

Northwest Passage

noun

1. the passage by sea from the Atlantic to the Pacific along the N coast of America: attempted for over 300 years by Europeans seeking a short route to the Far East, before being successfully navigated by Amundsen (1903–06)

Northwest Passage

1. A sea route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean through northwestern America, often sought by early explorers. There is an actual Northwest Passage, but it requires sailing through far northern waters that are icebound much of the year.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Northwest Passage¹

First recorded in 1545–55

Example Sentences

As a result, the British clamored to explore the north, rekindling that long-held dream of finding a Northwest Passage.

From The Daily Beast

Henry Hudson sailed from Gravesend on his first voyage for the discovery of a northwest passage to India.

From Project Gutenberg

Martin Frobisher was despatched with three pinnaces to discover a northwest passage, but compelled by the ice to return.

From Project Gutenberg

He has given us to see the northwest passage forced, and winter bearded on his everlasting throne, by another.

From Project Gutenberg

Some went back to report that there was no Northwest Passage, and others were lost among the ice-floes and never returned.

From Project Gutenberg

Hudson's achievement added to his fame, and he was once more sent in search of the northwest passage.

From Project Gutenberg