to manage or guide by advice, helpful information, instruction, etc.: He directed the company through a difficult time.
to regulate the course of; control: History is directed by a small number of great men and women.
to administer; manage; supervise: She directs the affairs of the estate.
to give authoritative instructions to; command; order or ordain: I directed him to leave the room.
to serve as a director in the production or performance of (a musical work, play, motion picture, etc.).
to guide, tell, or show (a person) the way to a place: I directed him to the post office.
to point, aim, or send toward a place or object: to direct radio waves around the globe.
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.
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.
to address (a letter, package, etc.) to an intended recipient.
verb (used without object)
to act as a guide.
to give commands or orders.
to serve as the director of a play, film, orchestra, etc.
adjective
proceeding in a straight line or by the shortest course; straight; undeviating; not oblique: a direct route.
proceeding in an unbroken line of descent; lineal rather than collateral: a direct descendant.
Mathematics.
(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).
(of a function) the function itself, in contrast to its inverse.Compare inverse (def. 2).
without intervening persons, influences, factors, etc.; immediate; personal: direct contact with the voters; direct exposure to a disease.
straightforward; frank; candid: the direct remarks of a forthright individual.
absolute; exact: the direct opposite.
consisting exactly of the words originally used; verbatim: direct quotation.
Government. of or by action of voters, which takes effect without representatives or another intervening agency, as in direct democracy.
inevitable; consequential: War will be a direct result of such political action.
allocated for or arising from a particular known agency, process, job, etc.: The new machine was listed by the accountant as a direct cost.
Electricity. of or relating to direct current.
Astronomy.
moving in an orbit in the same direction as the earth in its revolution around the sun.
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).
Surveying. (of a telescope) in its normal position; not inverted or transited.
(of dye colors) working without the use of a mordant; substantive.
adverb
in a direct manner; directly; straight: Answer me direct.
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
SYNONYMS FOR direct
18 open, sincere, outspoken.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR direct ON THESAURUS.COM
synonym study for direct
1. See guide. 4. 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 WORDS FROM direct
di·rect·a·ble,adjectivedi·rect·ness,nounpre·di·rect,verb (used with object)self-di·rect·ing,adjective
sem·i·di·rect,adjectivesem·i·di·rect·ness,noun
Words nearby direct
diradical, Dirae, dirdum, dire, direc. prop., direct, direct-access, direct-access storage device, direct-acting, direct action, direct address
If someone wants to ensure a direct and secure connection, no entity, whether a hotel or otherwise, should be able to block it.
How ‘Ethical’ Hotel Chain Marriott Gouges Guests in the Name of Wi-Fi Security|Kyle Chayka|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Idiocies multiply in direct proportion to the accumulating legal rigidities.
Red Tape Is Strangling Good Samaritans|Philip K. Howard|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Direct funds away from practices, policies, and programs that consistently fail to achieve measurable outcomes.
Can the U.S. Government Go Moneyball?|Peter Orszag, Jim Nussle|December 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It would be inaccurate though to call SIX a direct antidote to ALEC.
The Left’s Answer to ALEC|Ben Jacobs|December 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Part of that, Dr. Khan says, was a direct result of the global trekking PepsiCo is doing.
The Science of Ingredient Innovation||December 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I believe them to have been the direct suggestion of the devil.
Dictionary of Quotations from Ancient and Modern, English and Foreign Sources|James Wood
During the summer months they should be protected from the direct rays of the sun, and kept well syringed.
Talks about Flowers.|M. D. Wellcome
New value will be given to craftsmanship and a sense of dedication—now almost unknown—to those who direct it.
The Life of the Spirit and the Life of To-day|Evelyn Underhill
There is no direct charge conveyed by Mr. Knox, but there is evidently expressed the language of doubt and surmise.
The Works of William Cowper|William Cowper
Such competition, although simple and direct, recognizes no national bounds.
Railroads: Rates and Regulations|William Z. Ripley
British Dictionary definitions for direct
direct
/ (dɪˈrɛkt, daɪ-) /
verb(mainly tr)
to regulate, conduct, or control the affairs of
(also intr)to give commands or orders with authority to (a person or group)he directed them to go away
to tell or show (someone) the way to a place
to aim, point, or cause to move towards a goal
to address (a letter, parcel, etc)
to address (remarks, words, etc)to direct comments at someone
(also intr)to provide guidance to (actors, cameramen, etc) in the rehearsal of a play or the filming of a motion picture
(also intr)
to conduct (a piece of music or musicians), usually while performing oneself
another word (esp US) for conduct (def. 9)
adjective
without delay or evasion; straightforwarda direct approach
without turning aside; uninterrupted; shortest; straighta direct route
without intervening persons or agencies; immediatea direct link
honest; frank; candida direct answer
(usually prenominal)precise; exacta direct quotation
diametricalthe direct opposite
in an unbroken line of descent, as from father to son over succeeding generationsa direct descendant
(of government, decisions, etc) by or from the electorate rather than through representatives
logicmaths(of a proof) progressing from the premises to the conclusion, rather than eliminating the possibility of the falsehood of the conclusionCompare indirect proof
astronomymoving from west to east on the celestial sphereCompare retrograde (def. 4a)
of or relating to direct current
(of a secondary induced current) having the same direction as the primary current
music
(of motion) in the same directionSee motion (def. 9)
(of an interval or chord) in root position; not inverted
adverb
directly; straighthe went direct to the office
Derived forms of direct
directness, noun
Word Origin for direct
C14: from Latin dīrectus; from dīrigere to guide, from dis- apart + regere to rule