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definitions

director

[dih-rek-ter, dahy-]
See more synonyms for director on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a person or thing that directs.
  2. one of a group of persons chosen to control or govern the affairs of a company or corporation: a board of directors.
  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.Compare producer(def 3).
  4. the musical conductor of an orchestra, chorus, etc.
  5. the manager or chief executive of certain schools, institutes, government bureaus, etc.
  6. Military. a mechanical or electronic device that continuously calculates firing data for use against an airplane or other moving target.

Origin of director

From Late Latin, dating back to 1470–80; see origin at direct, -tor
Related formsdi·rec·tor·ship, nounpre·di·rec·tor, nounself-di·rec·tor, nounsub·di·rec·tor, nounsub·di·rec·tor·ship, noun

Synonyms for director

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1, 2, 5. supervisor, head, manager, leader, administrator, chief, boss.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for director

head, supervisor, producer, executive, administrator, player, chief, organizer, leader, principal, exec, governor, boss, skipper, overseer, chair, controller, kingpin, helmer

Examples from the Web for director

Contemporary Examples of director

Historical Examples of director

  • The first man to approach the wicket was the Director of the Circus.

    The Underdog

    F. Hopkinson Smith

  • If Monsieur the Director of the Circus comes now he will go in the special car.

    The Underdog

    F. Hopkinson Smith

  • The director turned, with a smile, to include that lady in the conversation.

    Meadow Grass

    Alice Brown

  • I had forgotten that he was director of the Conservatoire, just as I had forgotten everything else.

    My Double Life

    Sarah Bernhardt

  • "It is a letter from M. Perrin, director of the Comdie Franaise," she said.

    My Double Life

    Sarah Bernhardt

British Dictionary definitions for director

director

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 programmeCompare producer (def. 4)
  5. music another word (esp US) for conductor (def. 2)
Derived Formsdirectorial, adjectivedirectorially, adverbdirectorship, noundirectress, fem n
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
Word Origin and History for director
n.

late 15c., "a guide," from Anglo-French directour, French directeur, agent noun from Latin dirigere (see direct (v.)). Corporate sense is from 1630s; theatrical sense from 1911.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
director in Medicine

director

[dĭ-rĕk′tər, dī-]
n.
  1. A smoothly grooved instrument used with a knife to limit the incision of tissues.staff
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.