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• direct-access
  direct-access

  adjective

  pertaining to the ability to obtain data from, or place data in, external storage without the need to sequentially scan other data contained there.
• direct access
  direct access

  noun

  a method of reading data from a computer file without reading through the file from the beginning as on a disk or drum Compare sequential access

direct-access

American  

[dih-rekt-ak-ses, -ak-, dahy-] / dɪˈrɛktˈæk sɛs, -ˌæk-, daɪ- /

adjective

Computers.

1. pertaining to the ability to obtain data from, or place data in, external storage without the need to sequentially scan other data contained there.

2. pertaining to the method of organization and access used for a data structure in which records are located by their keys, without reference to other records that may have been previously accessed.

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direct access British  

noun

1. Also called: random access.  a method of reading data from a computer file without reading through the file from the beginning as on a disk or drum Compare sequential access

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

direct-access direct access

Swedroe, known for high-end condos in Miami, designed Quarry Springs with a direct-access elevator for each unit, leading from the garage into the unit’s private foyer.

From Washington Post ● Jun. 25, 2015

On the question of whether the UK uses direct-access pipes, Vodafone's Deadman said such a system would be illegal because Britain did not permit agencies to obtain information without a warrant.

From The Guardian ● Jun. 5, 2014

Vodafone is calling for all direct-access pipes to be disconnected, and for the laws that make them legal to be amended.

From The Guardian ● Jun. 5, 2014

Matthew Schulze of the American Society for Clinical Pathology says 32 states, as well as Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, permitted some form of direct-access testing last year--up from 27 in 1999.

From Time Magazine Archive

The homes offer large floor plans, direct-access elevators, high ceilings, private rooftop terraces or private balconies, a home automation system, fireplaces and high-end fixtures and appliances.

From Washington Post

The city’s famous “Medical Mile” downtown gives retirees direct access to nationally recognized healthcare through Corewell Health and Trinity Health.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026

But in the Hugging Face hack, OpenAI’s model hacked its way out of a “sandbox,” an environment with no direct access to the internet, without OpenAI even noticing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

As a prisoner, I don’t have direct access to Google search, but occasionally when I’m on the phone with my sister Angela I ask her to search “Robert Lee Williams journalist.”

From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026

He also noted that smaller institutions can provide students with direct access to faculty mentors and hands-on field research.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 5, 2026

One of the few with direct access to the subtrans system.

From "The Kill Order (Maze Runner, Book Four; Origin)" by James Dashner