direct action

American  

noun

1. 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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direct action British  

noun

1. action such as strikes or civil disobedience, employed by organized labour or other groups to obtain demands from an employer, government, etc

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Other Word Forms

• direct actionist
  noun

Etymology

Origin of direct action

First recorded in 1835–45

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

direct action

The findings suggest that authorities may eventually need to take more direct action to address pollution from certain wrecks.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026

The campaign group Greenpeace has also announced that it intends to take more direct action to better protect MPAs.

From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026

Menon added that it would be "laughable" if any Palestine Action activist actually believed direct action would achieve the group's stated aim to "shut Elbit down".

From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026

They believe that direct action is required to stop the descent of this AI judgment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026

Wilkins fired up no one, but his qualified support for direct action did convince some of the older black businessmen that what the students were doing was legitimate if not necessarily advisable.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson