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direct address

American  

noun

  1. Grammar. the use of a term or name for the person spoken to, as in securing the attention of that person; use of a vocative form.

  2. Computers. indirect address


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

"You are like the wind at daybreak, you are like a cherished vision," he sings in a direct address to the horse, named Rovach.

From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026

Terrence McNally, a master of direct address, intensifies the emotional climax of his play by having his characters step forward and explain how and when they will die.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 8, 2025

What decisions did you make about using metatextual qualities and visual style and using direct address and other gimmicks to hold the viewer’s hand through the film?

From Salon ● Oct. 26, 2023

That metadramatic direct address to readers defines the signature style of this weird hyper-self-aware mystery.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 15, 2023

A portion of the time was set apart for direct address by way of question and answer, to the higher faculties of the scholars.

From Transcendentalism in New England A History by Octavius Brooks Frothingham

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