direct

verbs

command with authority
"He directed the children to do their homework"
direct
is derived from
directive
is a type of (narrower)
give instructions to or direct somebody to do something with authority
"I said to him to go home"; "She ordered him to do the shopping"; "The mother told the child to get dressed"
enjoin, order, say, tell
intend (something) to move towards a certain goal
"He aimed his fists towards his opponent's face"; "criticism directed at her superior"; "direct your anger towards others, not towards yourself"
aim, direct, place, point, target
guide the actors in (plays and films)
direct
is derived from
director
domain category
arts or skills that require public performance
performing arts
is a type of (narrower)
make or cause to be or to become
"make a mess in one's office"; "create a furor"
create, make
be in charge of
direct
is derived from
directive
is derived from
director
is a type of (narrower)
be in charge of, act on, or dispose of
"I can deal with this crew of workers"; "This blender can't handle nuts"; "She managed her parents' affairs after they got too old"
care, deal, handle, manage
causes
perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
"think before you act"; "We must move quickly"; "The governor should act on the new energy bill"; "The nanny acted quickly by grabbing the toddler and covering him with a wet towel"
act, move
take somebody somewhere
"We lead him to our chief"; "can you take me to the main entrance?"; "He conducted us to the palace"
conduct, direct, guide, lead, take
cause to go somewhere
"The explosion sent the car flying in the air"; "She sent her children to camp"; "He directed all his energies into his dissertation"
direct, send
point or cause to go (blows, weapons, or objects such as photographic equipment) towards
"Please don't aim at your little brother!"; "He trained his gun on the burglar"; "Don't train your camera on the women"; "Take a swipe at one's opponent"
aim, direct, take, take aim, train
lead, as in the performance of a composition
"conduct an orchestra; Barenboim conducted the Chicago symphony for years"
conduct, direct, lead
is derived from
director
give directions to; point somebody into a certain direction
"I directed them towards the town hall"
direct
is a type of (narrower)
make aware of
"Have the students been apprised of the tuition hike?"
apprise, apprize, instruct
specifically design a product, event, or activity for a certain public
aim, calculate, direct
direct the course; determine the direction of travelling
channelise, channelize, direct, guide, head, maneuver, manoeuver, manoeuvre, point, steer
put an address on (an envelope)
address, direct
plan and direct (a complex undertaking)
"he masterminded the robbery"
direct, engineer, mastermind, orchestrate, organise, organize
is derived from
directive

adjectives

direct in spatial dimensions; proceeding without deviation or interruption; straight and short
"a direct route"; "a direct flight"; "a direct hit"
direct
antonym
indirect
is similar to
(of e.g. journeys or deliveries) direct from point of origin to point of destination
"the limousine offers door-to-door service"
door-to-door
is similar to
(of a journey especially a flight) occurring without stops
"a nonstop flight to Atlanta"
nonstop
is similar to
close enough to go straight to the target
"point-blank range"; "a point-blank shot"
point-blank
is similar to
pointed directly ahead
"a straightforward gaze"
straightforward
is similar to
going directly ahead from one point to another without veering or turning aside
"some people see evolution as an undeviating upward march from simple organisms to the very complex"; "a straight and narrow tree-lined road unswerving across the lowlands"
undeviating, unswerving
is similar to
(of a route or journey etc.) continuing without requiring stops or changes
"a through street"; "a through bus"; "through traffic"
through
see also
having no deviations
"straight lines"; "straight roads across the desert"; "straight teeth"; "straight shoulders"
straight
is an attribute of
trueness of course toward a goal
"rivaling a hawk in directness of aim"
directness, straightness
having no intervening persons, agents, conditions
"in direct sunlight"; "in direct contact with the voters"; "direct exposure to the disease"; "a direct link"; "the direct cause of the accident"; "direct vote"
direct, unmediated
straightforward in means or manner or behavior or language or action
"a direct question"; "a direct response"; "a direct approach"
direct
is derived from
directness
antonym
indirect
is similar to
bluntly direct and outspoken but good-natured
"a bluff but pleasant manner"; "a bluff and rugged natural leader"
bluff
is similar to
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
"blunt talking and straight shooting"; "a blunt New England farmer"; "I gave them my candid opinion"; "forthright criticism"; "a forthright approach to the problem"; "tell me what you think--and you may just as well be frank"; "it is possible to be outspoken without being rude"; "plainspoken and to the point"; "a point-blank accusation"
blunt, candid, forthright, frank, free-spoken, outspoken, plainspoken, point-blank, straight-from-the-shoulder
is similar to
disagreeably direct and precise
"he spoke with brutal honesty"
brutal
is similar to
without reservation
"a flat-footed refusal"
flat-footed
is similar to
forthright and honest
"had a man-to-man talk about the facts of life"
man-to-man
is similar to
not tolerating irrelevancies
"the no-nonsense tones of a stern parent"
no-nonsense
is similar to
free from any effort to soften to disguise
"the plain and unvarnished truth"; "the unvarnished candor of old people and children"
plain, unvarnished
is similar to
direct and obvious in meaning or reference; often unpleasant
"a pointed critique"; "a pointed allusion to what was going on"; "another pointed look in their direction"
pointed
is similar to
without evasion or compromise
"a square contradiction"; "he is not being as straightforward as it appears"
square, straight, straightforward
is similar to
frank and honest
"he was upfront about his intentions"
upfront
see also
not disposed to cheat or defraud; not deceptive or fraudulent
"honest lawyers"; "honest reporting"
honest, honorable
in a straight unbroken line of descent from parent to child
"lineal ancestors"; "lineal heirs"; "a direct descendant of the king"; "direct heredity"
direct, lineal
moving from west to east on the celestial sphere; or--for planets--around the sun in the same direction as the Earth
direct
antonym
retrograde
domain category
the branch of physics that studies celestial bodies and the universe as a whole
astronomy, uranology
similar in nature or effect or relation to another quantity
"a term is in direct proportion to another term if it increases (or decreases) as the other increases (or decreases)"
direct
antonym
inverse
domain category
a science (or group of related sciences) dealing with the logic of quantity and shape and arrangement
math, mathematics, maths
(of a current) flowing in one direction only
"direct current"
direct
antonym
alternating
domain category
a physical phenomenon associated with stationary or moving electrons and protons
electricity
being an immediate result or consequence
"a direct result of the accident"
direct
is derived from
directness
is similar to
of first rank or importance or value; direct and immediate rather than secondary
"primary goals"; "a primary effect"; "primary sources"; "a primary interest"
primary
in precisely the same words used by a writer or speaker
"a direct quotation"; "repeated their dialog verbatim"
direct, verbatim
lacking compromising or mitigating elements; exact
"the direct opposite"
direct
is similar to
perfect or complete or pure
"absolute loyalty"; "absolute silence"; "absolute truth"; "absolute alcohol"
absolute

adverbs

without deviation
"the path leads directly to the lake"; "went direct to the office"
direct, directly, straight