direct

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin dīrectus, perfect passive participle of dīrigō (“straighten, direct”), from dis- (“asunder, in pieces, apart, in two”) + regō (“make straight, rule”). Compare dress. Doublet of derecho.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /d(a)ɪˈɹɛkt/, /dəˈɹɛkt/, /daɪ̯əˈɹɛkt/
Audio (US) (file)
Rhymes: -ɛkt
Hyphenation: di‧rect

Adjective

direct (comparative more direct, superlative most direct)

Proceeding without deviation or interruption.
Straight; not crooked, oblique, or circuitous; leading by the short or shortest way to a point or end.
the most direct route between two buildings
Straightforward; sincere.
- c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act II, scene ii]:
  Be even and direct with me.
Immediate; express; plain; unambiguous.
- 1689 December (indicated as 1690), [John Locke], chapter 1, in Two Treatises of Government: […], London: […] Awnsham Churchill, […], OCLC 83985187:
  He nowhere, that I know, says it in direct words.
- 1827, Henry Hallam, “On the English Constitution from Henry VII. to Mary”, in The Constitutional History of England from the Accession of Henry VII. to the Death of George II. […], volume I, London: John Murray, […], OCLC 156165476, page 48:
  Nor did the government scruple a direct and avowed interference with elections.
In the line of descent; not collateral.
a descendant in the direct line
(astronomy) In the direction of the general planetary motion, or from west to east; in the order of the signs; not retrograde; said of the motion of a celestial body.
(political science) Pertaining to, or effected immediately by, action of the people through their votes instead of through one or more representatives or delegates.
direct nomination; direct legislation
(aviation, travel) having a single flight number.

Synonyms

(proceeding uninterrupted): immediate
(express, plain, unambiguous): explicit, patent, univocal; see also Thesaurus:explicit

Antonyms

indirect

Derived terms

direct access
direct action
direct activist
direct air capture
direct broadcast satellite
direct case
direct cost
direct coupling
direct current
direct cut
direct debit
direct democracy
direct deposit
direct descendant
direct election
direct examination
direct fire
direct flight
direct free kick
direct initiative
direct inward dialing
direct limit
direct mail
direct marketing
direct maternal death
direct object
direct primary
direct product
direct provision
direct question
direct quote
direct registering
direct repeat
direct report
direct response
direct rule
direct selling
direct speech
direct sum
direct system
direct-to-consumer
direct-to-DVD
direct-to-streaming
direct-to-TV
direct-to-video
direct verb
foreign direct investment
transcranial direct current stimulation

Translations

straight, constant, without interruption

Albanian: drejtë (sq)
Asturian: direutu
Belarusian: прамы́ (pramý), непасрэ́дны (njepasrédny)
Bulgarian: пряк (bg) (prjak), непосре́дствен (bg) (neposrédstven)
Catalan: directe (ca), dret (ca)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 直接 (zh) (zhíjiē)
Wu: 直接 (zeq jiq)
Cornish: didro, syth
Czech: přímý (cs)
Esperanto: rekta (eo)
Estonian: otse
Finnish: suora (fi)
French: direct (fr)
Friulian: dret
Galician: directo
German: direkt (de), unmittelbar (de)
Greek: άμεσος (el) (ámesos), απευθείας (el) (apeftheías)
Haitian Creole: dirèk
Hindi: सीधा (hi) (sīdhā)
Hungarian: közvetlen (hu), egyenes (hu), direkt (hu)
Interlingua: directe (ia)
Italian: diretto (it)
Japanese: 直接の (ja) (ちょくせつの, chokusetsu no)
Korean: 직접적 (ko) (jikjeopjeok), 직접의 (ko) (jikjeobui)
Latin: dīrectus, prorsus (la)
Macedonian: директен (direkten), непосреден (neposreden)
Maori: horipū, tohitū, pūkaka, arorangi
Norwegian: direkt
Persian: مستقیم‎ (fa) (mostaqim), راست‎ (fa) (râst)
Portuguese: directo (pt), direto (pt)
Romanian: direct (ro)
Russian: прямо́й (ru) (prjamój), непосре́дственный (ru) (neposrédstvennyj), постоя́нный (ru) (postojánnyj) (e.g. current)
Scots: airt
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: дѝректан, не̏посредан
Roman: dìrektan (sh), nȅposredan (sh)
Slovak: priamy
Slovene: direkten, neposreden
Spanish: directo (es)
Swedish: direkt (sv), omedelbar (sv)
Tajik: мустақим (tg) (mustaqim)
Turkish: doğrudan doğruya (tr)
Ukrainian: прями́й (uk) (prjamýj), безпосере́дній (uk) (bezposerédnij)
Urdu: سیدھا‎ (sīdhā)
Welsh: uniongyrchol (cy), syth (cy)

Adverb

direct (comparative more direct, superlative most direct)

Directly.
- 1912, Central Provinces (India), Central Provinces District Gazetteers, page 96:
  The walls, which are fixed direct into the ground without a plinth, are made of wattle and plastered with a thin lair of mud or cowdung.
- 2009, Hilary Mantel, Wolf Hall, Fourth Estate 2010, p. 346:
  Presumably Mary is to carry messages that she, Anne, is too delicate to convey direct.

Verb

direct (third-person singular simple present directs, present participle directing, simple past and past participle directed)

To manage, control, steer.
to direct the affairs of a nation or the movements of an army
To aim (something) at (something else).
They directed their fire towards the men on the wall.
He directed his question to the room in general.
To point out to or show (somebody) the right course or way; to guide, as by pointing out the way.
He directed me to the left-hand road.
- 1882, John Lubbock, Flowers, Fruits and Leaves
  the next points to which I will direct your attention
To point out to with authority; to instruct as a superior; to order.
She directed them to leave immediately.
- c. 1597, William Shakespeare, “The Merry VViues of VVindsor”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act IV, scene ii]:
  I'll first direct my men what they shall do.
(dated) To address (a letter) to a particular person or place.
- 1792, Charlotte Smith, Desmond, Broadview 2001, p. 310:
  [A]s I do not know where I shall be, and shall have my letters sent after me as soon as I do know, continue to direct hither.

Derived terms

co-direct, codirect
misdirect
redirect

Related terms

adroit
direction
directly
director
dirge
dirigible
dress

Translations

to manage, control, steer

Asturian: dirixir
Bulgarian: ръководя (bg) (rǎkovodja), управлявам (bg) (upravljavam)
Catalan: dirigir (ca)
Danish: dirigere, lede
Esperanto: gvidi, aldirekti
Finnish: ohjata (fi)
Galician: dirixir (gl)
German: beaufsichtigen (de)
Greek:
Ancient: εὐθύνω (euthúnō)
Hebrew: ניהל‎ (nehél)
Ido: direktar (io)
Irish: deachtaigh
Latin: dominor (la)
Middle English: dressen
Occitan: dirigir (oc)
Persian: اداره کردن‎ (fa) (edâre kardan), رایانیدن‎ (fa) (râyânidan)
Portuguese: dirigir (pt)
Russian: управля́ть (ru) impf (upravljátʹ)
Sanskrit: राष्टि (rāṣṭi)
Slovak: riadiť
Spanish: dirigir (es)
Swedish: leda (sv), styra (sv)
Ukrainian: керувати (keruvaty)

to be in charge of the direction of a film

Arabic: أَخْرَجَ‎ (ʾaḵraja)
Esperanto: reĝisori
Hungarian: rendez (hu)
Russian: режиссировать (ru) (režissirovatʹ)
Slovak: režírovať
Swedish: regissera (sv)

to be in charge of the direction of a play

Arabic: أَخْرَجَ‎ (ʾaḵraja)
Danish: inscenesætte
French: mettre en scène (fr)
German: inszenieren (de)
Hungarian: rendez (hu)
Norwegian: sette i scene
Slovak: režírovať

to aim at

Bulgarian: упътвам (bg) (upǎtvam), насочвам (bg) (nasočvam)
Catalan: adreçar (ca)
Danish: rette
Finnish: tähdätä (fi)
Greek: απευθύνω (el) (apefthýno), απευθύνομαι (el) (apefthýnomai) (at a person)
Hebrew: כיוון‎ (he) (kivén)
Kyrgyz: жөндөө (ky) (jöndöö)
Maori: whakangoto, whakakeko (of a gun)
Middle English: dressen
Persian: هدایت کردن‎ (fa)
Polish: kierować (pl)
Portuguese: direcionar (pt)
Russian: направля́ть (ru) impf (napravljátʹ), напра́вить (ru) pf (naprávitʹ), наце́ливать (ru) impf (nacélivatʹ), наце́лить (ru) pf (nacélitʹ)
Slovak: mieriť, namieriť, adresovať, upriamiť
Swedish: rikta (sv)
Ukrainian: скеровувати (skerovuvaty)

to order

French: ordonner (fr)
German: befehlen (de)
Greek:
Ancient: συντάσσω (suntássō)
Plautdietsch: befälen
Slovak: nariadiť, nariaďovať

Anagrams

Credit, credit, triced

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French direct, from Latin dīrēctus.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /diˈrɛkt/
audio (file)
Hyphenation: di‧rect
Rhymes: -ɛkt

Adjective

direct (comparative directer, superlative directst)

direct, immediate
direct, blunt, frank

Inflection

Inflection of direct
uninflected	direct
inflected	directe
comparative	directer
		positive	comparative	superlative
predicative/adverbial		direct	directer	het directst het directste
indefinite	m./f. sing.	directe	directere	directste
	n. sing.	direct	directer	directste
	plural	directe	directere	directste
definite		directe	directere	directste
partitive		directs	directers	—

Adverb

direct

immediately

Synonyms

onmiddellijk
meteen
rechtstreeks

Derived terms

drek

Descendants

Afrikaans: direk
Javindo: direk, drek
→ Papiamentu: dirèkt
→ Sranan Tongo: dièkdirèk
- → Caribbean Javanese: dirèg

French

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /di.ʁɛkt/
Audio (file)
Homophones: directe, directes, directs

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Latin dīrectus. Doublet of droit, which was inherited.

Adjective

direct (feminine directe, masculine plural directs, feminine plural directes)

direct

Noun

direct m (plural directs)

(media) live broadcast, live reporting
Synonym: live

Etymology 2

From directement.

Adverb

direct

(colloquial) directly
Si t'as pas envie d'y aller, dis-le direct. ― If you don't want to go, say it straight up.

Derived terms

cas direct
directement
discours direct
en direct
faute directe
objet direct

Related terms

diriger
directeur
direction

Anagrams

crédit
décrit
dicter

German

Adjective

direct (strong nominative masculine singular directer, comparative directer, superlative am directesten)

Obsolete spelling of direkt which was deprecated in 1902 following the Second Orthographic Conference of 1901.

Declension

Positive forms of direct

number & gender		singular			plural
number & gender		masculine	feminine	neuter	all genders
predicative		er ist direct	sie ist direct	es ist direct	sie sind direct
strong declension (without article)	nominative	directer	directe	directes	directe
	genitive	directen	directer	directen	directer
	dative	directem	directer	directem	directen
	accusative	directen	directe	directes	directe
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der directe	die directe	das directe	die directen
	genitive	des directen	der directen	des directen	der directen
	dative	dem directen	der directen	dem directen	den directen
	accusative	den directen	die directe	das directe	die directen
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein directer	eine directe	ein directes	(keine) directen
	genitive	eines directen	einer directen	eines directen	(keiner) directen
	dative	einem directen	einer directen	einem directen	(keinen) directen
	accusative	einen directen	eine directe	ein directes	(keine) directen

Comparative forms of direct

number & gender		singular			plural
number & gender		masculine	feminine	neuter	all genders
predicative		er ist directer	sie ist directer	es ist directer	sie sind directer
strong declension (without article)	nominative	directerer	directere	directeres	directere
	genitive	directeren	directerer	directeren	directerer
	dative	directerem	directerer	directerem	directeren
	accusative	directeren	directere	directeres	directere
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der directere	die directere	das directere	die directeren
	genitive	des directeren	der directeren	des directeren	der directeren
	dative	dem directeren	der directeren	dem directeren	den directeren
	accusative	den directeren	die directere	das directere	die directeren
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein directerer	eine directere	ein directeres	(keine) directeren
	genitive	eines directeren	einer directeren	eines directeren	(keiner) directeren
	dative	einem directeren	einer directeren	einem directeren	(keinen) directeren
	accusative	einen directeren	eine directere	ein directeres	(keine) directeren

Superlative forms of direct

number & gender		singular			plural
number & gender		masculine	feminine	neuter	all genders
predicative		er ist am directesten	sie ist am directesten	es ist am directesten	sie sind am directesten
strong declension (without article)	nominative	directester	directeste	directestes	directeste
	genitive	directesten	directester	directesten	directester
	dative	directestem	directester	directestem	directesten
	accusative	directesten	directeste	directestes	directeste
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der directeste	die directeste	das directeste	die directesten
	genitive	des directesten	der directesten	des directesten	der directesten
	dative	dem directesten	der directesten	dem directesten	den directesten
	accusative	den directesten	die directeste	das directeste	die directesten
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein directester	eine directeste	ein directestes	(keine) directesten
	genitive	eines directesten	einer directesten	eines directesten	(keiner) directesten
	dative	einem directesten	einer directesten	einem directesten	(keinen) directesten
	accusative	einen directesten	eine directeste	ein directestes	(keine) directesten

Norman

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin dīrectus, perfect passive participle of dīrigō, dīrigere (“straighten, direct”). Compare the inherited drait, drouait.

Adjective

direct m

(Jersey) direct

Derived terms

directément (“directly”)

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French direct, Latin directus. Compare the inherited doublet drept.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /diˈrekt/

Adjective

direct m or n (feminine singular directă, masculine plural direcți, feminine and neuter plural directe)

direct
head-on

Declension

Declension of direct

		singular			plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine	masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative/ accusative	indefinite	direct		directă	direcți	directe
nominative/ accusative	definite	directul		directa	direcții	directele
genitive/ dative	indefinite	direct		directe	direcți	directe
genitive/ dative	definite	directului		directei	direcților	directelor

Adverb

direct

directly
straight

direct

English

Etymology

Pronunciation

Adjective

Synonyms

Antonyms

Derived terms

Translations

Adverb

Verb

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Anagrams

Dutch

Etymology

Pronunciation

Adjective

Inflection

Adverb

Synonyms

Derived terms

Descendants

French

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Adjective

Noun

Etymology 2

Adverb

Derived terms

Related terms

See also

Further reading

Anagrams

German

Adjective

Declension

Norman

Etymology

Adjective

Derived terms

Romanian

Etymology

Pronunciation

Adjective

Declension

Adverb