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

Central bankers and investors will be looking for more clues about the direction of interest rates, so we checked in with Greg Ip, The Wall Street Journal’s chief economics commentator, for his take.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

He estimated that the glacier collapsed in a northwesterly direction and then travelled westwards downstream.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

And, yes, the new $150-million training facility that’s going to open in El Segundo next year is a better-late-than-never step in that direction.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026

Bond yields and prices move in the opposite direction.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026

I threw a healing spell in his direction.

From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows

The figure cannot be read as meaning El Ninos themselves are 36 percent stronger, because it measures the variability of the whole ocean-atmosphere system, in both the warm and cool directions.

From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026

In the end, the high court’s directions did not change Hittner’s determination that the law violates the 1st and 14th amendments.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

Ingredients that can head in several directions once they meet heat, a pantry and whatever you happen to be craving that evening.

From Salon ● Aug. 25, 2026

"Understanding how diet, microbiota-derived metabolites and inflammation shape intestinal epithelial memory could open new directions for restoring intestinal immune tolerance in inflammatory bowel disease."

From Science Daily ● Aug. 21, 2026

“Huh. That’s…” I can’t think of an appropriate word, so I change directions.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

Related Words

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