direct

/dɚˈɛkt/ · 2 syllables

Meaning

verb

command with authority
“He directed the children to do their homework”
intend (something) to move towards a certain goal
“He aimed his fists towards his opponent's face”
guide the actors in (plays and films)
be in charge of
take somebody somewhere
“We lead him to our chief”
cause to go somewhere
“The explosion sent the car flying in the air”
point or cause to go (blows, weapons, or objects such as photographic equipment) towards
“Please don't aim at your little brother!”
lead, as in the performance of a composition
“conduct an orchestra; Barenboim conducted the Chicago symphony for years”
give directions to; point somebody into a certain direction
“I directed them towards the town hall”
specifically design a product, event, or activity for a certain public
direct the course; determine the direction of travelling
put an address on (an envelope)

adjective

direct in spatial dimensions; proceeding without deviation or interruption; straight and short
“a direct route”
having no intervening persons, agents, conditions
“in direct sunlight”
straightforward in means or manner or behavior or language or action
“a direct question”
in a straight unbroken line of descent from parent to child
“lineal ancestors”
moving from west to east on the celestial sphere; or--for planets--around the sun in the same direction as the Earth
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)”
(of a current) flowing in one direction only
“direct current”
being an immediate result or consequence
“a direct result of the accident”
in precisely the same words used by a writer or speaker
“a direct quotation”
lacking compromising or mitigating elements; exact
“the direct opposite”

adverb

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