direct action

American  

noun

1. any action seeking to achieve an immediate or direct result, especially an action against an established authority or powerful institution, as a strike or picketing.

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direct action British  

noun

1. action such as strikes or civil disobedience, employed by organized labour or other groups to obtain demands from an employer, government, etc

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Other Word Forms

• direct actionist noun

Etymology

Origin of direct action

First recorded in 1835–45

Example Sentences

"At the budget I will take direct action to ease the cost of living for all households," she wrote in The Times newspaper.

From Barron's • Nov. 25, 2025

As the head of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, Randolph believed in the power of strikes and direct action to get results.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 23, 2025

But, if protesting is just fruitless exhibitionism, as Teddy claims, and radical acts of direct action don’t seem to work any better, what is there to do if no one will listen?

From Salon • Oct. 31, 2025

“But this would seem to suggest that kind of stasis is now changing to more direct action on the part of companies, and that’s going to make jobs more precarious.”

From MarketWatch • Oct. 28, 2025

Wilkins fired up no one, but his qualified support for direct action did convince some of the older black businessmen that what the students were doing was legitimate if not necessarily advisable.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson