director

American  

[dih-rek-ter, dahy-] / dɪˈrɛk tər, daɪ- /

noun

1. a person or thing that directs.

   Synonyms:

   boss, chief, administrator, leader, manager, head, supervisor

2. one of a group of persons chosen to control or govern the affairs of a company or corporation.

   a board of directors.

   Synonyms:

   boss, chief, administrator, leader, manager, head, supervisor

3. the person responsible for the interpretive aspects of a stage, film, or television production; the person who supervises the integration of all the elements, as acting, staging, and lighting, required to realize the writer's conception.

4. the musical conductor of an orchestra, chorus, etc.

5. the manager or chief executive of certain schools, institutes, government bureaus, etc.

   Synonyms:

   boss, chief, administrator, leader, manager, head, supervisor

6. Military. a mechanical or electronic device that continuously calculates firing data for use against an airplane or other moving target.

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director British  

/ daɪ-, dɪˈrɛktə /

noun

1. a person or thing that directs, controls, or regulates

2. a member of the governing board of a business concern who may or may not have an executive function

3. a person who directs the affairs of an institution, trust, educational programme, etc

4. the person responsible for the artistic and technical aspects of making a film or television programme Compare producer

5. music another word (esp US) for conductor

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Other Word Forms

• directorial adjective
• directorially adverb
• directorship noun
• directress noun
• predirector noun
• self-director noun
• subdirector noun
• subdirectorship noun

Etymology

Origin of director

From Late Latin, dating back to 1470–80; see origin at direct, -tor

Explanation

A director is a person who is in charge of something important. The advertising director for a large company is the head of the department that places ads in newspapers and on TV. Businesses have directors, and movies and plays also have directors, who oversee the way the actors deliver their lines and interpret the script. An orchestra's conductor can also be called a "musical director," and much like a film director, she guides the musicians and supervises their performance. The Latin root, dirigere, means "set straight."

Example Sentences

In addition, he serves as chair of the department of materials science and engineering, director of the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, and a member of the International Institute for Nanotechnology.

From Science Daily • Apr. 18, 2026

Yet Mizuho managing director Daniel O’Regan believes that surging demand for AI may now be actually boosting sentiment around the legacy software sector.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 18, 2026

Naindeep Singh, executive director of the Jakara Movement, a prominent Sikh advocacy group based in California, described transnational extortion gangs as being active in the state for some time.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 18, 2026

She is the founder and director of TECgirls, a Cornwall‑based organisation aiming to increase the number of women in technology and engineering.

From BBC • Apr. 18, 2026

“Your dad is, like, officially the best choir director in America!” says Hannah Schnell, who goes to Westside with me.

From "Shine!" by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein

Related Words

• administrator
• chief
• executive
• head
• leader
• organizer
• player
• principal
• producer
• supervisor