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View synonyms for

direction

[ dih-rek-shuhn, dahy- ]

noun

  1. the act or an instance of directing.
  2. the line along which anything lies, faces, moves, etc., with reference to the point or region toward which it is directed: directed:

    The storm moved in a northerly direction.

  3. the point or region itself:

    The direction is north.

  4. a position on a line extending from a specific point toward a point of the compass or toward the nadir or the zenith.
  5. a line of thought or action or a tendency or inclination:

    the direction of contemporary thought.

  6. Usually directions. instruction or guidance for making, using, etc.:

    directions for baking a cake.

  7. order; command.
  8. management; control; guidance; supervision:

    a company under good direction.

  9. the name and address of the intended recipient as written on a letter, package, etc.
  10. decisions in a stage or film production as to stage business, speaking of lines, lighting, and general presentation.
  11. the technique, act, or business of making such decisions, managing and training a cast of actors, etc.
  12. the technique, act, or business of directing an orchestra, concert, or other musical presentation or group.
  13. Music. a symbol or phrase that indicates in a score the proper tempo, style of performance, mood, etc.
  14. a purpose or orientation toward a goal that serves to guide or motivate; focus:

    He doesn't seem to have any direction in life.



direction

/ dɪˈrɛkʃən; daɪ- /

noun

  1. the act of directing or the state of being directed
  2. management, control, or guidance
  3. the work of a stage or film director
  4. the course or line along which a person or thing moves, points, or lies
  5. 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
  6. the place towards which a person or thing is directed
  7. a line of action; course
  8. the name and address on a letter, parcel, etc
  9. music the process of conducting an orchestra, choir, etc
  10. 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
  11. modifier maths
    1. (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
    2. (of a cosine) being the cosine of any of the direction angles
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Word Forms

  • 徱·tDz· adjective
  • d·tDz noun
  • -徱·tDz noun
  • p·徱·tDz noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of direction1

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English direccioun, from Middle French, from Latin īŧپō-, stem of īŧپō “arranging in line, straightening”; equivalent to direct + -ion
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Idioms and Phrases

see step in the right direction .
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Synonym Study

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The two suspects, however, were unaware that the two people they had enlisted were “affiliated with and acting at the direction of the FBI,” according to the Justice Department’s statement.

From

Everything about Banana Cake brings my backward glances into focus with the passing years drawing out the spaces in between the things that shook, uprooted, and sent me hurtling in a new direction.

From

As the meeting between Witkoff and Putin was taking place, Trump claimed talks were going in the right direction.

From

The problem, he says, was a record label who'd pushed him in a more commercial direction.

From

More sunshine and a change in the wind direction are expected to bring the warmest weather of the year so far.

From

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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direct inputdirectional