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

"We really need to take direct action against some of the individuals in the UK, the ambassador again needs to be called in."

From BBC • Feb. 15, 2026

But for those considering direct action elsewhere, there were lessons in 2025 of how protest can produce results.

From BBC • Dec. 29, 2025

"At the budget I will take direct action to ease the cost of living for all households," she wrote in The Times newspaper.

From Barron's • Nov. 25, 2025

As the head of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, Randolph believed in the power of strikes and direct action to get results.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 23, 2025

King may have embraced direct action, but in the early 1960s he was still very much the product of his black middle-class upbringing, and he would occasionally lash out against stereotyped lower-class behaviors.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson