a book containing an alphabetical index of the names and addresses of persons in a city, district, organization, etc., or of a particular category of people.
a board or tablet on a wall of a building listing the room and floor numbers of the occupants.
a book of directions.
Computers.
Also called folder. an organizing unit in a computer's file system for storing and locating files. In a hierarchical file system, directories can contain child directories subdirectories as well as files.
a description of characteristics of a particular file, as the layout of fields within each record.
French History. the Directory, the body of five directors forming the executive power of France from 1795 to 1799.
a book, arranged alphabetically or classified by trade listing names, addresses, telephone numbers, etc, of individuals or firms
a book or manual giving directions
a book containing the rules to be observed in the forms of worship used in churches
a less common word for directorate
computing an area of a disk, Winchester disk, or floppy disk that contains the names and locations of files currently held on that disk
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Medieval Latin dīrēctōrium, noun use of Late Latin dīrēctōrius directorial; directory in def. 5, translation of French Directoire, from Medieval Latin, as above
A directory is a type of catalog, an organized list of people or businesses and how to contact them. If you need to find your lab partner's phone number, check the school directory. An old-fashioned phone book is a directory, an alphabetical list of the people in your city or town, along with their phone number and address. These days such a directory is more often found online. In computing, a directory is also known as a folder, and it contains information about how data is stored in a computer. In the 16th century, a directory was a book of religious guidelines and rules. Directory comes from a Latin root meaning "to set straight."
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"It's more a theme park than a shopping mall," Germany supporter Michael Karg, 48, said as he fingered through an A-Z list of restaurants on a digital directory.
From Barron's ● Jun. 27, 2026
Users open up a gray pane that displays their file directory, lines of code and a chatbot window, where they can select their AI model of choice.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 19, 2026
It does this by checking a model’s request for tool authorization against an organization’s active directory and routing execution through compliance filters, he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026
However, Sherborne produced emails in court indicating the Mail newspapers had provided access to the electoral roll and phone directory for journalists' research.
From BBC ● Feb. 17, 2026
I watch Simon chew on his lip while Garrett stares at the directory.
From "Leah on the Offbeat" by Becky Albertalli
He was the cat in a Thompson Directory advert and made a series of spots for the DIY chain B&Q. He later described this aspect of his life as one of the most financially lucrative.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
They combined this information with health system data gathered from the World Health Organization, the World Bank, United Nations agencies, and the Directory of Radiotherapy Centres.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 17, 2026
Using the Hollywood Creative Directory, he looked up three Black showrunners in Los Angeles and mailed letters to each of them asking for a job.
From New York Times ● Sep. 22, 2023
Students and their families can use Career Connect Washington’s Directory to search for programs by location and interest.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 11, 2023
There were even such books of reference as the London Directory, the “Red” and “Blue” books, Whitaker’s Almanac, the Army and Navy Lists, and—it somehow gladdened my heart to see it—the Law List.
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
This could involve searching through insurance directories for practitioners who accept their plans, or waiting weeks or longer to have an initial visit.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 7, 2026
The draft bill excludes online encyclopaedias and educational directories from the ban.
From Barron's ● Jan. 26, 2026
A spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services said it is increasing oversight of insurers’ networks and their provider directories.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 18, 2025
There is no Jose Bernal listed as a licensed lawyer or paralegal in the State Bar of California or the California Alliance of Paralegal Assn.’s online directories.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2025
Looking at her, you got the feeling that this was someone who could bend iron bars and tear telephone directories in half.
From "Matilda" by Roald Dahl
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
