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

See Examples For:

director directors

In 2011, “The Artist,” a delightful dialogue-free black-and-white feature, won Oscars for best picture, best director and best actor.

From Salon ● Aug. 22, 2026

Chuck Wilkins, 52, business development director, of Reston, Va., who ordered eight tickets to the 24 Hours of Le Mans car race:

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026

"With this operation, we achieve two purposes: one, environment cleanup, and second, recover rare earths as a valuable byproduct," said Lance Lin, director of the WVU Rare Earth Elements Initiative.

From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026

Obbe Vermeij is a game developer who worked as a technical director on major GTA titles including GTA 3, GTA Vice City and GTA San Andreas until he left Rockstar in 2009.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

I’m really looking forward to my meeting tomorrow with the activities director at Mrs. Gilbert’s seniors’ apartment complex.

From "Shine!" by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein

Silent filmmaking has even found its place among up-and-coming directors.

From Salon ● Aug. 22, 2026

Intertitle cards bridged some comprehension gaps, but skilled directors used them sparingly.

From Salon ● Aug. 22, 2026

In the 1980s, he teamed up with the Association for the Conservation of Energy, a body governed by directors and CEOs.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

The proposed deal is subject to the approval of a special committee of independent directors expected to be appointed by Pilgrim’s board, JBS said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

A small family business can survive and flourish without a board of directors, a CEO or an accounting department.

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari

Related Words

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