direct

American  

[dih-rekt, dahy-] / dɪˈrɛkt, daɪ- /

verb (used with object)

• directs,
  present (3rd person singular)
• directed,
  past participle,  past
• directing
  present participle

1. 

   to manage or guide by advice, helpful information, instruction, etc..

   He directed the company through a difficult time.

2. to regulate the course of; control.

   History is directed by a small number of great men and women.

3. to administer; manage; supervise.

   She directs the affairs of the estate.

4. to give authoritative instructions to; command; order or ordain.

   I directed him to leave the room.

5. to serve as a director in the production or performance of (a musical work, play, motion picture, etc.).

6. to guide, tell, or show (a person) the way to a place.

   I directed him to the post office.

7. to point, aim, or send toward a place or object.

   to direct radio waves around the globe.

8. to channel or focus toward a given result, object, or end (often followed by to ortoward ).

   She directed all her energies toward the accomplishment of the work.

9. 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.

10. to address (a letter, package, etc.) to an intended recipient.

---

verb (used without object)

• directs,
  present (3rd person singular)
• directed,
  past participle,  past
• directing
  present participle

1. to act as a guide.

2. to give commands or orders.

3. to serve as the director of a play, film, orchestra, etc.

adjective

1. proceeding in a straight line or by the shortest course; straight; undeviating; not oblique.

   a direct route.

2. proceeding in an unbroken line of descent; lineal rather than collateral.

   a direct descendant.

3. Mathematics.

   1. (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).

   2. (of a function) the function itself, in contrast to its inverse.

4. without intervening persons, influences, factors, etc.; immediate; personal.

   direct contact with the voters; direct exposure to a disease.

5. straightforward; frank; candid.

   the direct remarks of a forthright individual.

   Synonyms:

   outspoken, sincere, open

6. absolute; total; exact.

   the direct opposite.

7. consisting exactly of the words originally used; verbatim.

   direct quotation.

8. Government. of or by action of voters, which takes effect without representatives or another intervening agency, as in

9. inevitable; consequential.

   War will be a direct result of such political action.

10. allocated for or arising from a particular known agency, process, job, etc..

    The new machine was listed by the accountant as a direct cost.

11. Electricity. of or relating to direct current.

12. Astronomy.

    1. moving in an orbit in the same direction as the earth in its revolution around the sun.

    2. appearing to move on the celestial sphere in the direction of the natural order of the signs of the zodiac, from west to east.

13. Surveying. (of a telescope) in its normal position; not inverted or transited.

14. (of dye colors) working without the use of a mordant; substantive.

adverb

1. in a direct manner; directly; straight.

   Answer me direct.

direct British  

/ dɪˈrɛkt, daɪ- /

verb

1. to regulate, conduct, or control the affairs of

2. (also intr) to give commands or orders with authority to (a person or group)

   he directed them to go away

3. to tell or show (someone) the way to a place

4. to aim, point, or cause to move towards a goal

5. to address (a letter, parcel, etc)

6. to address (remarks, words, etc)

   to direct comments at someone

7. (also intr) to provide guidance to (actors, cameramen, etc) in the rehearsal of a play or the filming of a motion picture

8. (also intr)

   1. to conduct (a piece of music or musicians), usually while performing oneself

   2. another word (esp US) for conduct

---

adjective

1. without delay or evasion; straightforward

   a direct approach

2. without turning aside; uninterrupted; shortest; straight

   a direct route

3. without intervening persons or agencies; immediate

   a direct link

4. honest; frank; candid

   a direct answer

5. (usually prenominal) precise; exact

   a direct quotation

6. diametrical

   the direct opposite

7. in an unbroken line of descent, as from father to son over succeeding generations

   a direct descendant

8. (of government, decisions, etc) by or from the electorate rather than through representatives

9. 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

10. astronomy moving from west to east on the celestial sphere Compare retrograde

11. 1. of or relating to direct current

    2. (of a secondary induced current) having the same direction as the primary current

12. music

    1. (of motion) in the same direction See motion

    2. (of an interval or chord) in root position; not inverted

adverb

1. directly; straight

   he went direct to the office

Usage

What are other ways to say direct? To direct is to manage or guide by advice, helpful information, or instruction. How is direct different from conduct, guide, and lead? Find out on Thesaurus.com. 

Synonym Usage

Direct, order, command mean to issue instructions. Direct suggests also giving explanations or advice; the emphasis is not on the authority of the director, but on steps necessary for the accomplishing of a purpose. Order connotes a personal relationship in which one in a superior position imperatively instructs a subordinate to do something. Command, less personal and, often, less specific in detail, suggests greater formality and, sometimes, a more fixed authority on the part of the superior.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• directness
  noun
• semidirectness
  noun
• predirect
  verb (used with object)
• directable
  adjective
• self-directing
  adjective
• semidirect
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• directing
  present
• directed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• direct
  simple
• directs
  simple
• have directed
  perfect
• has directed
  perfect
• am directing
  progressive
• are directing
  progressive
• is directing
  progressive
• have been directing
  perfect progressive
• has been directing
  perfect progressive

Past

• directed
  simple
• had directed
  perfect
• was directing
  progressive
• were directing
  progressive
• had been directing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will direct
  simple
• will have directed
  perfect
• will be directing
  progressive
• will have been directing
  perfect progressive

---

Etymology

Origin of direct

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English directen (verb) (from Anglo-French ), from Latin dīrēctus, past participle of dīrigere “to align, straighten, guide” (equivalent to dis-, dī- + -rigere, combining form of regere “to guide, rule”); see origin at di- ²

---

Explanation

If you direct somebody, you tell them where to go or what to do. You can also direct a play or direct someone to a gas station, by telling them what roads to take. Most uses of direct involving giving orders. Army officers direct battles, which means they plan what to do and how to carry it out. You can direct a kick toward the goal, which means you send the ball flying toward the net. When used as an adjective, direct often means to the point with no beating around the bush. If someone is direct, it means they say what they mean; if a plant is in direct sunlight, it gets a lot of sun.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

direct directs directed directing

"And that means that the sample we get back may actually contain grains of Mars as well. So it can give us really direct information about the composition and history of Mars."

From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026

The results raise questions about the widespread assumption that low-calorie sweeteners have little direct biological activity.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 2026

Amarillo billionaire Alex Fairly, meanwhile, had maxed out to Paxton’s direct campaign account with a $7,000 donation in the spring; in late August, he gave $274,300 to Paxton’s joint fundraising committee.

From Salon ● Oct. 17, 2026

Yuma County alone grows more than 175 crops and produces 80% to 90% of the leafy greens consumed in the U.S. during the winter—roughly $1.3 billion in direct crop sales in 2022.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

The hills on either side of a cove would direct the water right down the middle, funneling it toward the village.

From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland

Paul Cremo, who directs the Met's commissioning program, said creating the other-worldly universe for "Bardo" -- in which tendrils engulf singers and ghosts explode -- challenged the Met's technical staff.

From Barron's ● Oct. 18, 2026

The actor directs and stars in a film about a Los Angeles mayoral candidate whose son is seemingly kidnapped.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

It also carries information that directs the new DNA to a precise location within the T cell genome.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 7, 2026

But sometimes the law Congress enacts explicitly directs the judiciary to defer to the views of federal agencies who have studied a difficult problem and made evidence-based recommendations.

From Slate ● Oct. 6, 2026

When we arrive at the stone cottage, he directs me to the recliner and disappears into the small back room—a simple kitchenette—and emerges with the first-aid kit.

From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed

The first act, directed with cool precision by Ms. Kauffman, is terrific, as the tensions and frictions among the characters slowly build.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

Polymarket’s first U.S. political campaign features a pair of ads directed by Kathryn Bigelow that dramatize voter concerns such as high gas prices before concluding with the tagline, “Watch the midterms move.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

Coogler wrote, directed and executive produced the pilot and will serve as executive producer along with showrunner and executive producer Jennifer Yale.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

It also warned that children with special educational needs are "disproportionately" directed to screen-based learning.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

“Let’s all take our seats, shall we?” directed Mr. Drysdale with a vague wave of his arms.

From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan

Until now, directing their movement in extremely thin, two-dimensional superconductors has been particularly difficult.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026

Michael Arabian was initially intimidated by the thought of directing Mandell, who had previously worked on the play with the author.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026

His arguments were strong, and he delivered them with courage, clarity and a disarming good humor that was magnified by his directing them at ideas, not people.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

When discussing JPM, Stucky said: “They are not managing to be the most efficient, but they have been outgrowing the industry by directing capital to where it will benefit the most in the longer run.”

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 11, 2026

One day in the spring of my sophomore year, I found a note in my box directing me to see my advisor.

From "Jacob Have I Loved" by Katherine Paterson

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• address
• aim
• cast
• conduct
• focus
• head
• intend
• lead
• mean
• present
• see
• set
• show
• steer
• target
• train
• turn

---