direction
Americannoun
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the act or an instance of directing.
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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.
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the point or region itself.
The direction is north.
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a position on a line extending from a specific point toward a point of the compass or toward the nadir or the zenith.
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a line of thought or action or a tendency or inclination.
the direction of contemporary thought.
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Usually directions. instruction or guidance for making, using, etc..
directions for baking a cake.
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order; command.
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management; control; guidance; supervision.
a company under good direction.
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a directorate.
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the name and address of the intended recipient as written on a letter, package, etc.
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decisions in a stage or film production as to stage business, speaking of lines, lighting, and general presentation.
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the technique, act, or business of making such decisions, managing and training a cast of actors, etc.
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the technique, act, or business of directing an orchestra, concert, or other musical presentation or group.
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Music. a symbol or phrase that indicates in a score the proper tempo, style of performance, mood, etc.
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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
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the act of directing or the state of being directed
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management, control, or guidance
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the work of a stage or film director
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the course or line along which a person or thing moves, points, or lies
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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
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the place towards which a person or thing is directed
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a line of action; course
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the name and address on a letter, parcel, etc
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music the process of conducting an orchestra, choir, etc
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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
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(modifier) maths
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(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
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(of a cosine) being the cosine of any of the direction angles
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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.
A$AP has been on a journey the past few years, which appears to have influenced his growth as a musician and the direction he's taken with the expansive Don't Be Dumb.
From BBC
He even changed the company’s name from Facebook to reflect the new direction.
From Barron's
"This is a good step in the right direction, but it's only a start," says Neha Mukherjee of Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, a consulting firm that deals with batteries and rare earth elements.
From BBC
Kennedy also had to weather scrutiny from die-hard fans about the new direction of the franchise.
From Los Angeles Times
“A fresh start, a new direction,” Harbaugh said of his reasoning to fire Roman.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
