direct

[ dih-rekt, dahy- ]

verb (used with object)

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 or toward ):

   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)

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. Compare inverse ( def 2 ).
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 direct democracy
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. Compare retrograde ( def 4 ).
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

/ daɪ-; dɪˈrɛkt /

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

Derived Forms

• diˈrectness, noun

Other Words From

• di·recta·ble adjective
• di·rectness noun
• predi·rect verb (used with object)
• self-di·recting adjective
• semi·di·rect adjective
• semi·di·rectness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of direct¹

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”); di- ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of direct¹

C14: from Latin dīrectus; from dīrigere to guide, from dis- apart + regere to rule

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

The Child Protection Panel said the review team would make direct contact with individuals should they need to meet or discuss anything further.

From BBC

But some within the school community said they were worried about confidentiality and general awareness of the review process, with parents not given a direct line of communication with the North Wales Safeguarding Board.

From BBC

Prof Maguire says universities need to know what tuition fees or direct funding they will get through to the next election.

From BBC

She said Assad "is not the enemy of the United States because Syria does not pose a direct threat to the United States" - and defended meeting him in 2017, during Trump's first term.

From BBC

They recognized that the club’s direct democratic process — and its annual elections of three members of its 15-person board — was a vulnerability, and they assembled the first stages of a plan: a hostile takeover.

From Salon

Related Words

• blunt
• candid
• explicit
• forthright
• sincere
• straightforward
• unambiguous
• unequivocal