direct

[ dih-rekt, dahy- ]

/ dɪˈrɛkt, daɪ- /

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See synonyms for: direct / directed / directing / directs on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to manage or guide by advice, helpful information, instruction, etc.: He directed the company through a difficult time.

to regulate the course of; control: History is directed by a small number of great men and women.

to administer; manage; supervise: She directs the affairs of the estate.

to give authoritative instructions to; command; order or ordain: I directed him to leave the room.

to serve as a director in the production or performance of (a musical work, play, motion picture, etc.).

to guide, tell, or show (a person) the way to a place: I directed him to the post office.

to point, aim, or send toward a place or object: to direct radio waves around the globe.

to channel or focus toward a given result, object, or end (often followed by to or toward): She directed all her energies toward the accomplishment of the work.

to address (words, a speech, a written report, etc.) to a person or persons: The secretary directed his remarks to two of the committee members.

to address (a letter, package, etc.) to an intended recipient.

verb (used without object)

to act as a guide.

to give commands or orders.

to serve as the director of a play, film, orchestra, etc.

adjective

proceeding in a straight line or by the shortest course; straight; undeviating; not oblique: a direct route.

proceeding in an unbroken line of descent; lineal rather than collateral: a direct descendant.

Mathematics.

(of a proportion) containing terms of which an increase (or decrease) in one results in an increase (or decrease) in another: a term is said to be in direct proportion to another term if one increases (or decreases) as the other increases (or decreases).
(of a function) the function itself, in contrast to its inverse.Compare inverse (def. 2).

without intervening persons, influences, factors, etc.; immediate; personal: direct contact with the voters; direct exposure to a disease.

straightforward; frank; candid: the direct remarks of a forthright individual.

absolute; total; exact: the direct opposite.

consisting exactly of the words originally used; verbatim: direct quotation.

Government. of or by action of voters, which takes effect without representatives or another intervening agency, as in direct democracy.

inevitable; consequential: War will be a direct result of such political action.

allocated for or arising from a particular known agency, process, job, etc.: The new machine was listed by the accountant as a direct cost.

Electricity. of or relating to direct current.

Astronomy.

moving in an orbit in the same direction as the earth in its revolution around the sun.
appearing to move on the celestial sphere in the direction of the natural order of the signs of the zodiac, from west to east.Compare retrograde (def. 4).

Surveying. (of a telescope) in its normal position; not inverted or transited.

(of dye colors) working without the use of a mordant; substantive.

adverb

in a direct manner; directly; straight: Answer me direct.

OTHER WORDS FOR direct

18 open, sincere, outspoken.

See synonyms for direct on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of direct

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English directen (verb) (from Anglo-French ), from Latin dīrēctus, past participle of dīrigere “to align, straighten, guide” (equivalent to dis-, dī- + -rigere, combining form of regere “to guide, rule”); see origin at di-²

synonym study for direct

4. Direct, order, command mean to issue instructions. Direct suggests also giving explanations or advice; the emphasis is not on the authority of the director, but on steps necessary for the accomplishing of a purpose. Order connotes a personal relationship in which one in a superior position imperatively instructs a subordinate to do something. Command, less personal and, often, less specific in detail, suggests greater formality and, sometimes, a more fixed authority on the part of the superior.

OTHER WORDS FROM direct

di·rect·a·ble, adjectivedi·rect·ness, nounpre·di·rect, verb (used with object)self-di·rect·ing, adjective

sem·i·di·rect, adjectivesem·i·di·rect·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use direct in a sentence

This year’s event — which was in-person, parking lot-style shindig — featured a fair amount of Voice of San Diego reporting and some direct jabs at VOSD podcast host Scott Lewis.
VOSD Podcast: Why Montgomery Steppe Wants to Be Council President|Nate John|November 20, 2020|Voice of San Diego
So direct indexing is allowing us to give them the Nasdaq minus Facebook, or minus web advertising companies.
The biggest risks and opportunities for investors in 2021|matthewheimer|November 20, 2020|Fortune
It’s time to harness finance and direct it to preserve our planet.
Why we should be funding more Solyndras|Amy Nordrum|November 19, 2020|MIT Technology Review
There needed to be some way for the teacher to spend uninterrupted time with virtual students for direct teaching.
Distance learning was a disaster. So I decided to teach my daughter myself.|Tracey Lewis-Giggetts|November 19, 2020|Washington Post

Dassault Systèmes had a direct response, as many companies are working very closely with trying to work on solutions to the virus.
Leveraging collective intelligence and AI to benefit society|Jason Sparapani|November 18, 2020|MIT Technology Review
He allows the subject to float over to Hitchcock with a calm directness that I admire.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He spoke without notes and inspired confidence in a hurt world because of his directness, honesty, and compassion.
The Resilient City: New York After 9/11|John Avlon|September 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Since then, no president has spoken to the American people with so much candor, directness, and vision.
Jimmy Carter Was a Lot Better President Than Almost Anyone Ever Admits|David Masciotra|April 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Mentally, he is full of aggression, thrust, directness, essentially active, not passive.
“I hear Gore’s voice and I want so much to be with him”|Anaïs Nin|October 26, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Their greatest virtue is their uncluttered directness, their fluid mastery of well-researched detail.
Becoming Gore Vidal: The Henry Adams of Our Age|Morris Dickstein|August 4, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Further questions respecting her family, &c., were answered with equal directness and propriety, and with manifest truth.
Glances at Europe|Horace Greeley
Her directness had made all possible 'buts' seem ridiculous and futile, and had made the expression of curiosity seem offensive.
Hilda Lessways|Arnold Bennett
He always disdained circumlocution, prided himself upon the directness and simplicity of his address.
At Last|Marion Harland
The power of any force—moral and religious as well as mechanical—is in proportion to the directness of its application.
The Boys of '61|Charles Carleton Coffin.
As a community, San Francisco exalted personal courage, directness of encounter, straight and effective shooting.
The Letters of Ambrose Bierce|Ambrose Bierce

British Dictionary definitions for direct

direct

/ (dɪˈrɛkt, daɪ-) /

verb (mainly tr)

to regulate, conduct, or control the affairs of

(also intr) to give commands or orders with authority to (a person or group)he directed them to go away

to tell or show (someone) the way to a place

to aim, point, or cause to move towards a goal

to address (a letter, parcel, etc)

to address (remarks, words, etc)to direct comments at someone

(also intr) to provide guidance to (actors, cameramen, etc) in the rehearsal of a play or the filming of a motion picture

(also intr)

to conduct (a piece of music or musicians), usually while performing oneself
another word (esp US) for conduct (def. 9)

adjective

without delay or evasion; straightforwarda direct approach

without turning aside; uninterrupted; shortest; straighta direct route

without intervening persons or agencies; immediatea direct link

honest; frank; candida direct answer

(usually prenominal) precise; exacta direct quotation

diametricalthe direct opposite

in an unbroken line of descent, as from father to son over succeeding generationsa direct descendant

(of government, decisions, etc) by or from the electorate rather than through representatives

logic maths (of a proof) progressing from the premises to the conclusion, rather than eliminating the possibility of the falsehood of the conclusionCompare indirect proof

astronomy moving from west to east on the celestial sphereCompare retrograde (def. 4a)

of or relating to direct current
(of a secondary induced current) having the same direction as the primary current

music

(of motion) in the same directionSee motion (def. 9)
(of an interval or chord) in root position; not inverted

adverb

directly; straighthe went direct to the office

Derived forms of direct

directness, noun

Word Origin for direct

C14: from Latin dīrectus; from dīrigere to guide, from dis- apart + regere to rule

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

direct

OTHER WORDS FOR direct

Origin of direct

synonym study for direct

OTHER WORDS FROM direct

Words related to direct

How to use direct in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for direct

Derived forms of direct

Word Origin for direct