direction

[ dih-rek-shuhn, dahy- ]

/ dɪˈrɛk ʃən, ˈdaɪ- /

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See synonyms for: direction / directions / directionless on Thesaurus.com

noun

the act or an instance of directing.

the line along which anything lies, faces, moves, etc., with reference to the point or region toward which it is directed: The storm moved in a northerly direction.

the point or region itself: The direction is north.

a position on a line extending from a specific point toward a point of the compass or toward the nadir or the zenith.

a line of thought or action or a tendency or inclination: the direction of contemporary thought.

Usually directions. instruction or guidance for making, using, etc.: directions for baking a cake.

order; command.

management; control; guidance; supervision: a company under good direction.

a directorate.

the name and address of the intended recipient as written on a letter, package, etc.

decisions in a stage or film production as to stage business, speaking of lines, lighting, and general presentation.

the technique, act, or business of making such decisions, managing and training a cast of actors, etc.

the technique, act, or business of directing an orchestra, concert, or other musical presentation or group.

Music. a symbol or phrase that indicates in a score the proper tempo, style of performance, mood, etc.

a purpose or orientation toward a goal that serves to guide or motivate; focus: He doesn't seem to have any direction in life.

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Origin of direction

1375–1425; late Middle English direccioun (<Middle French ) <Latin dīrēctiōn- (stem of dīrēctiō ) “arranging in line, straightening.” See direct, -ion

synonym study for direction

5. See tendency.

OTHER WORDS FROM direction

di·rec·tion·less, adjectivepre·di·rec·tion, nounself-di·rec·tion, nounsu·per·di·rec·tion, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use direction in a sentence

People would have to become much more capable of self-direction as well as of voluntary co-operation than they are now.
The Behavior of Crowds|Everett Dean Martin
There is a great body of young men who float on the stream of life with no self-direction.
Aims and Aids for Girls and Young Women|George Sumner Weaver
The desire for self-direction has made a thousand philosophies as contradictory as the temperaments of the thinkers.
A Preface to Politics|Walter Lippmann
Only by the exercise of self-guidance and intelligent self-direction can that inalienable, supreme, pivotal power be expressed.
The Pivot of Civilization|Margaret Sanger

Many teachers and parents insist upon guiding the pupil long after he is capable of self-direction.
Training the Teacher|A. F. Schauffler

British Dictionary definitions for direction

direction

/ (dɪˈrɛkʃən, daɪ-) /

noun

the act of directing or the state of being directed

management, control, or guidance

the work of a stage or film director

the course or line along which a person or thing moves, points, or lies

the course along which a ship, aircraft, etc, is travelling, expressed as the angle between true or magnetic north and an imaginary line through the main fore-and-aft axis of the vessel

the place towards which a person or thing is directed

a line of action; course

the name and address on a letter, parcel, etc

music the process of conducting an orchestra, choir, etc

music an instruction in the form of a word or symbol heading or occurring in the body of a passage, movement, or piece to indicate tempo, dynamics, mood, etc

(modifier) maths

(of an angle) being any one of the three angles that a line in space makes with the three positive directions of the coordinate axes. Usually given as α, β, and γ with respect to the x-, y-, and z- axes
(of a cosine) being the cosine of any of the direction angles

Other Idioms and Phrases with direction

direction

see step in the right direction.

direction

Origin of direction

synonym study for direction

OTHER WORDS FROM direction

Words related to direction

How to use direction in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for direction

Other Idioms and Phrases with direction