definitions

direct action

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noun

any action seeking to achieve an immediate or direct result, especially an action against an established authority or powerful institution, as a strike or picketing.

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Nearby words

dire dawa, dire wolf, direc. prop., direct, direct access, direct action, direct address, direct broadcast satellite, direct characterization, direct cinema, direct cost

Origin of direct action

First recorded in 1835–45
Related formsdirect actionist, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for direct action

  • I can't get her to see the difference between a socialist and a direct-action anarchist and I've given up trying.

    Windy McPherson's Son|Sherwood Anderson

British Dictionary definitions for direct action

direct action

noun

action such as strikes or civil disobedience, employed by organized labour or other groups to obtain demands from an employer, government, etc
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012