direction

American  

[dih-rek-shuhn, dahy-] / dɪˈrɛk ʃən, ˈdaɪ- /

noun

• directions
  plural

1. the act or an instance of directing.

2. the line along which anything lies, faces, moves, etc., with reference to the point or region toward which it is directed.

   The storm moved in a northerly direction.

3. the point or region itself.

   The direction is north.

4. a position on a line extending from a specific point toward a point of the compass or toward the nadir or the zenith.

5. a line of thought or action or a tendency or inclination.

   the direction of contemporary thought.

6. Usually directions. instruction or guidance for making, using, etc..

   directions for baking a cake.

7. order; command.

8. management; control; guidance; supervision.

   a company under good direction.

9. a directorate.

10. the name and address of the intended recipient as written on a letter, package, etc.

11. decisions in a stage or film production as to stage business, speaking of lines, lighting, and general presentation.

12. the technique, act, or business of making such decisions, managing and training a cast of actors, etc.

13. the technique, act, or business of directing an orchestra, concert, or other musical presentation or group.

14. Music. a symbol or phrase that indicates in a score the proper tempo, style of performance, mood, etc.

15. a purpose or orientation toward a goal that serves to guide or motivate; focus.

    He doesn't seem to have any direction in life.

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direction British  

/ dɪˈrɛkʃən, daɪ- /

noun

1. the act of directing or the state of being directed

2. management, control, or guidance

3. the work of a stage or film director

4. the course or line along which a person or thing moves, points, or lies

5. the course along which a ship, aircraft, etc, is travelling, expressed as the angle between true or magnetic north and an imaginary line through the main fore-and-aft axis of the vessel

6. the place towards which a person or thing is directed

7. a line of action; course

8. the name and address on a letter, parcel, etc

9. music the process of conducting an orchestra, choir, etc

10. music an instruction in the form of a word or symbol heading or occurring in the body of a passage, movement, or piece to indicate tempo, dynamics, mood, etc

11. (modifier) maths

    1. (of an angle) being any one of the three angles that a line in space makes with the three positive directions of the coordinate axes. Usually given as α, β, and γ with respect to the x-, y-, and z- axes

    2. (of a cosine) being the cosine of any of the direction angles

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direction Idioms  

1. see step in the right direction.

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Synonym Usage

See tendency.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• predirection
  noun
• self-direction
  noun
• superdirection
  noun
• directionless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• directions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of direction

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English direccioun, from Middle French, from Latin dīrēctiōn-, stem of dīrēctiō “arranging in line, straightening”; equivalent to direct + -ion

Explanation

When you put something together, it's usually best to follow each direction — that is, each step in the instructions for how to do it — so that you put it together correctly. Or, you could just start putting it together, only to discover that you have extra pieces. The noun direction has several meanings. It can be an order given, as in, "Here are your directions: pick up your toys and make the bed!" Direction can also be something that points out a route as when you ask for directions to the lake. The course leading to a certain point is also a direction so you need to go in a southerly direction for ten miles, and then turn left at the giant chicken sign.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

direction directions

This "dominant" wave extends through the material in one direction.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 20, 2026

"If we're all marching towards a cliff edge, they've sort of slightly slowed down that progress, but they haven't fundamentally changed its direction," added Carr-West.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

The poll surveyed 4,207 registered voters in California from Aug. 3 to 9, online in English and Spanish, and has an estimated margin of error of about 2.5 percentage points in either direction.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026

It marked the first time since 2016 that three officials broke with the majority in the same direction on a policy change.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

He used his Tribune’s editorial page to rail against the direction the media was headed.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

Starring Amelia Eve, Lin Shaye, Brandon Perea, and Sam Spruell, "Insidious: Out of the Further" introduces new directions and characters to a franchise that has grossed over $740 million at the global box office.

From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026

"At that stage our members would not continue in that pursuit and the directions that were given by our command and control centre were to disengage," she said.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

The machines failed in opposite directions, often instructively.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

Here’s another factoid that could get the AI bears excited: Stocks in the S&P 500 are increasingly trading in opposite directions on a given day.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026

But she turned around and began reading Dad the directions for getting to the school.

From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Related Words

• angle
• area
• aspect
• line
• objective
• orientation
• outlook
• path
• trend
• way