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.
There will be no public username directory, and phone numbers will still be required in order to have a WhatsApp account in the first place.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026
"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
He’s listed on another university web page directory for “Integrative Biology and Physiology” as an associate adjunct professor.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 12, 2026
Unfortunately she had mislaid or lost Mademoiselle Reisz’s card, and looking up her address in the city directory, she found that the woman lived on Bienville Street, some distance away.
From "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin
Major Adams, who led the 6888th Central Postal Directory Batallion, is played by actress Kerry Washington.
From BBC ● Dec. 20, 2024
Organizations like the Climate-Aware Therapist Directory and the American Psychiatric Assn. have put together an increasing number of guides and resources to help more people understand how climate change has affected our emotional well-being.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2024
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
From failing insurrections in Paris and the establishment of a new regime known as the Directory, the key drivers of the assignat were on their way out.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2023
“And the bobby replies, ‘There’s no Quinzy in the Directory of Judges, is what I’m saying.’
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
Print directories, legacy media and some traditional retail are other examples he cites.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 25, 2026
The draft bill excludes online encyclopaedias and educational directories from the ban.
From Barron's ● Jan. 26, 2026
Sarah Murdoch, director of client services at the Medicare Rights Center, suggested reaching out directly to healthcare providers because insurer directories aren’t always accurate or up-to-date.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2025
It said these include "personnel rosters, lists of terrorist training courses, phone directories and salary documents".
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2025
Consequently, good names appear on envelopes, on diplomas, in telephone directories, and in all other public places.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
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.
