Northwards means in the direction toward the north. When geese fly northwards in spring, they're heading away from warmer southern regions toward their northern breeding grounds. A hiker traveling northwards through a forest is moving in the direction a compass needle points.

The word describes movement or position relative to north, one of the four cardinal directions. If you're in Texas and drive northwards, you might end up in Oklahoma, Kansas, or eventually Canada. A river flowing northwards moves toward the North Pole rather than away from it.

You'll also see this written as northward (without the “s”), and both forms mean exactly the same thing. Some people prefer one spelling over the other, but you can use whichever sounds better to you. The related words southwards, eastwards, and westwards work the same way, describing movement or direction toward those compass points.