direction
Americannoun
-
the act or an instance of directing.
-
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.
-
the point or region itself.
The direction is north.
-
a position on a line extending from a specific point toward a point of the compass or toward the nadir or the zenith.
-
a line of thought or action or a tendency or inclination.
the direction of contemporary thought.
-
Usually directions. instruction or guidance for making, using, etc..
directions for baking a cake.
-
order; command.
-
management; control; guidance; supervision.
a company under good direction.
-
a directorate.
-
the name and address of the intended recipient as written on a letter, package, etc.
-
decisions in a stage or film production as to stage business, speaking of lines, lighting, and general presentation.
-
the technique, act, or business of making such decisions, managing and training a cast of actors, etc.
-
the technique, act, or business of directing an orchestra, concert, or other musical presentation or group.
-
Music. a symbol or phrase that indicates in a score the proper tempo, style of performance, mood, etc.
-
a purpose or orientation toward a goal that serves to guide or motivate; focus.
He doesn't seem to have any direction in life.
noun
-
the act of directing or the state of being directed
-
management, control, or guidance
-
the work of a stage or film director
-
the course or line along which a person or thing moves, points, or lies
-
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
-
the place towards which a person or thing is directed
-
a line of action; course
-
the name and address on a letter, parcel, etc
-
music the process of conducting an orchestra, choir, etc
-
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
-
(modifier) maths
-
(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
-
(of a cosine) being the cosine of any of the direction angles
-
Related Words
See tendency.
Other Word Forms
- directionless adjective
- predirection noun
- self-direction noun
- superdirection noun
Etymology
Origin of direction
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English direccioun, from Middle French, from Latin dīrēctiōn-, stem of dīrēctiō “arranging in line, straightening”; equivalent to direct + -ion
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
While many ski towns have spent years mourning the rise of corporate conglomerates swallowing mom-and-pop owners, a growing faction in Telluride was pushing in the opposite direction.
Rangers have an awful lot of work to do, but they are at least pointing in the right direction.
From BBC
Guardiola strode on to the pitch after the match and blew kisses in the direction of his family in the stands.
From BBC
The stars extend as far as the eye can see, in every direction.
From BBC
John Hughes — who wrote the film’s screenplay but deferred direction to his collaborator, Howard Deutch — had a way of making even the obvious seem natural.
From Salon
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.
