direct
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 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.
to act as a guide.
to give commands or orders.
to serve as the director of a play, film, orchestra, etc.
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).
straightforward; frank; candid: the direct remarks of a forthright individual.
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.
Origin of direct
1synonym study For direct
Other words for direct
Other words from direct
- di·rect·a·ble, adjective
- di·rect·ness, noun
- pre·di·rect, verb (used with object)
- self-di·rect·ing, adjective
- sem·i·di·rect, adjective
- sem·i·di·rect·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
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 DiegoSo 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 | FortuneIt’s time to harness finance and direct it to preserve our planet.
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 PostDassault 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 | THE DAILY BEASTHe spoke without notes and inspired confidence in a hurt world because of his directness, honesty, and compassion.
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 | THE DAILY BEASTMentally, 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 | THE DAILY BEASTTheir 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 | THE DAILY BEASTFurther questions respecting her family, &c., were answered with equal directness and propriety, and with manifest truth.
Glances at Europe | Horace GreeleyHer directness had made all possible 'buts' seem ridiculous and futile, and had made the expression of curiosity seem offensive.
Hilda Lessways | Arnold BennettHe always disdained circumlocution, prided himself upon the directness and simplicity of his address.
At Last | Marion HarlandThe 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
/ (dɪˈrɛkt, daɪ-) /
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)
without delay or evasion; straightforward: a direct approach
without turning aside; uninterrupted; shortest; straight: a direct route
without intervening persons or agencies; immediate: a direct link
honest; frank; candid: a direct answer
(usually prenominal) precise; exact: a direct quotation
diametrical: the direct opposite
in an unbroken line of descent, as from father to son over succeeding generations: a 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 conclusion: Compare indirect proof
astronomy moving from west to east on the celestial sphere: Compare 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 direction: See motion (def. 9)
(of an interval or chord) in root position; not inverted
directly; straight: he went direct to the office
Origin of direct
1Derived forms of direct
- directness, noun
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
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