direction

[ dih-rek-shuh n, dahy- ]

/ dɪˈrɛk ʃən, ˈdaɪ- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR direction ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act or an instance of directing.

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.

the point or region itself: The direction is north.

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

a line of thought or action or a tendency or inclination: the direction of contemporary thought.

Usually directions. instruction or guidance for making, using, etc.: directions for baking a cake.

order; command.

management; control; guidance; supervision: a company under good direction.

a directorate.

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

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

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

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

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

a purpose or orientation toward a goal that serves to guide or motivate; focus: He doesn't seem to have any direction in life.

Nearby words

directed, directed angle, directed verdict, directed-energy device, directing, direction, direction angle, direction cosine, direction finder, direction number, directional

Origin of direction

1375–1425; late Middle English direccioun (< Middle French) < Latin dīrēctiōn- (stem of dīrēctiō) “arranging in line, straightening.” See direct, -ion

Related formsdi·rec·tion·less, adjectivepre·di·rec·tion, nounself-di·rec·tion, nounsu·per·di·rec·tion, noun

Synonym study

5. See tendency.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for direction

Pleasure shoots magically in every direction like an explosion of sparks.
‘A Gronking to Remember’ Speed Read: 8 Naughtiest Bits|Emily Shire|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Absent a body, no one can say with absolute certainty whether Castro is dead, even if all signs point in that direction.
An Informant, a Missing American, and Juarez’s House of Death: Inside the 12-Year Cold Case of David Castro|Bill Conroy|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
An arrow appears indicating the direction you will launch your ball.
Lost For Thousands of Strokes: 'Desert Golfing' Is 'Angry Birds' as Modern Art|Alec Kubas-Meyer|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The ATSB has been impressive in the way it has taken over the direction of the search for Flight 370.
Who Will Get AsiaAir 8501’s Black Boxes?|Clive Irving|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Stay anywhere long enough and every direction eventually leads you toward a pawnshop of your life.
The Life and Hard Times Of The Family A Cuban Defector Left Behind|Brin-Jonathan Butler|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As the Will may assume in the absence of such affirmations, and in the direction of them, so it may in opposition to them.
Doctrine of the Will|Asa Mahan
I turned my eyes in the direction I expected to see the horses.
Snow Shoes and Canoes|William H. G. Kingston
The name of Mr. Galloway should also be mentioned as one of the earliest workers in this direction.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 488, May 9, 1885|Various
As soon as Welcome could jerk the pin loose, he whirled and stumped furiously back in the direction of Chub and Penny.
Motor Matt's Daring, or, True to His Friends|Stanley R. Matthews
The carriage started at once in the direction of the datcha des Iles.
The Secret of the Night|Gaston Leroux

British Dictionary definitions for direction

direction

/ (dɪˈrɛkʃən, daɪ-) /

noun

the act of directing or the state of being directed

management, control, or guidance

the work of a stage or film director

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

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

the place towards which a person or thing is directed

a line of action; course

the name and address on a letter, parcel, etc

music the process of conducting an orchestra, choir, etc

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

(modifier) maths

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

Word Origin and History for direction

direction

c.1400, "orderly arrangement;" c.1500 as "action of directing," from Latin directionem (nominative directio), noun of action from past participle stem of dirigere (see direct (v.)). Meaning "course pursued by a moving object" is from 1660s. Related: Directional.

Idioms and Phrases with direction

direction

see step in the right direction.

direction

noun

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Origin of direction

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for direction

British Dictionary definitions for direction

direction

noun

Word Origin and History for direction

direction

Idioms and Phrases with direction

direction