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

It has not said which sites will be targeted but it has previously taken similar direct action at sites in the southern North Sea, the English Channel, and off the south-west coast of England.

From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026

"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

“People find direct action so un-British, so when it happens they are so surprised, despite the fact that our whole history is built on it,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 19, 2026

"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

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