director
Americannoun
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a person or thing that directs.
- Synonyms:
- boss, chief, administrator, leader, manager, head, supervisor
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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
-
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.
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the musical conductor of an orchestra, chorus, etc.
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the manager or chief executive of certain schools, institutes, government bureaus, etc.
- Synonyms:
- boss, chief, administrator, leader, manager, head, supervisor
-
Military. a mechanical or electronic device that continuously calculates firing data for use against an airplane or other moving target.
noun
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a person or thing that directs, controls, or regulates
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a member of the governing board of a business concern who may or may not have an executive function
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a person who directs the affairs of an institution, trust, educational programme, etc
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the person responsible for the artistic and technical aspects of making a film or television programme Compare producer
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music another word (esp US) for conductor
Other Word Forms
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."
Vocabulary lists containing director
Reading: Literature - Drama - Introductory
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Academy Awards, List 3
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Theater - Introductory
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"To present Bond, we need to offer his entire gamut of abilities," explains Martin Emborg, IO Interactive's narrative director.
From BBC • May 24, 2026
In a squeaker race for Cannes’ top prize, Romanian director Cristian Mungiu prevailed on Saturday, taking the Palme d’Or for his tense community drama “Fjord.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 23, 2026
In a Cannes year with very little Hollywood sparkle, a lot was riding on director James Gray’s “Paper Tiger.”
From The Wall Street Journal • May 23, 2026
But Joshua Blank, the research director of the Texas Politics Project, said it’s difficult to make that line of attack resonate outside the donor class.
From Salon • May 23, 2026
“No, it’d waste our time. The mountain’s going back to sleep,” said the director.
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
