director

American  

[dih-rek-ter, dahy-] / dɪˈrɛk tər, daɪ- /

noun

directors plural

1. a person or thing that directs.

   Synonyms:

   boss, chief, administrator, leader, manager, head, supervisor

2. one of a group of persons chosen to control or govern the affairs of a company or corporation.

   a board of directors.

   Synonyms:

   boss, chief, administrator, leader, manager, head, supervisor

3. the person responsible for the interpretive aspects of a stage, film, or television production; the person who supervises the integration of all the elements, as acting, staging, and lighting, required to realize the writer's conception.

4. the musical conductor of an orchestra, chorus, etc.

5. the manager or chief executive of certain schools, institutes, government bureaus, etc.

   Synonyms:

   boss, chief, administrator, leader, manager, head, supervisor

6. Military. a mechanical or electronic device that continuously calculates firing data for use against an airplane or other moving target.

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director British  

/ daɪ-, dɪˈrɛktə /

noun

1. a person or thing that directs, controls, or regulates

2. a member of the governing board of a business concern who may or may not have an executive function

3. a person who directs the affairs of an institution, trust, educational programme, etc

4. the person responsible for the artistic and technical aspects of making a film or television programme Compare producer

5. music another word (esp US) for conductor

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• directorship
  noun
• directress
  noun
• predirector
  noun
• self-director
  noun
• subdirector
  noun
• subdirectorship
  noun
• directorial
  adjective
• directorially
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• directors
  plural

Etymology

Origin of director

From Late Latin, dating back to 1470–80; see origin at direct, -tor

Explanation

A director is a person who is in charge of something important. The advertising director for a large company is the head of the department that places ads in newspapers and on TV. Businesses have directors, and movies and plays also have directors, who oversee the way the actors deliver their lines and interpret the script. An orchestra's conductor can also be called a "musical director," and much like a film director, she guides the musicians and supervises their performance. The Latin root, dirigere, means "set straight."

Example Sentences

The BBC's new director general has described the traditional TV licence model as "a busted flush" and "no longer fit for purpose".

From BBC • Jul. 8, 2026

“We are above-average for this time of year,” said Miquel Jacobs, director of communications for the vector control district.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 8, 2026

“We still have uncertainty. We still have risks that we think are on the downside,” said Petya Koeva Brooks, deputy director of the IMF’s research division.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 8, 2026

So a plan is needed to track and potentially intercept tigers, said Axel Moehrenschlager, conservation translocation director for wild cat protection organisation Panthera.

From Barron's • Jul. 8, 2026

The man told McWhorter that he had arrived from Germany two days ago and was going to see Mr. Hoover, the director of the FBI, in person in Washington, DC.

From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple

Related Words

• administrator
• chief
• executive
• head
• leader
• organizer
• player
• principal
• producer
• supervisor