direction Hear it!

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direction definition

di·rec·tion (də rek′s̸hən; also dī-)

noun

  1. the act of directing; management; supervision
  2. instructions for doing, operating, using, preparing, etc.
  3. an authoritative order or command
  4. the point toward which something faces or the line along which something moves or lies “north,” “up,” “forward,” and “left” are directions
  5. an aspect, line of development, way, trend, etc. research in new directions
  6. Theater
    1. the director's plan for achieving certain effects, as of acting, lighting, etc.
    2. the instructions for this to the actors and others
  7. Music
    1. a word, phrase, or sign showing how a note, passage, etc. is to be played
    2. the work or art of directing a choir, band, etc.

Etymology: ME direccioun < L directio

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

idioms direction idiom

direction Synonyms

direction

n.

  1. A position

    point of the compass, objective, bearing, course, way, orientation, heading, route, path, track, region, area, road, place, spot; see also route 2, way 2.

    Points of the compass include: north, N, south, S, east, E, west, W, NE, NW, SE, SW, NNE, NNW, SSE, SSW, ENE, ESE, WNW, WSW, E by N, E by S, W by N, W by S, N by E, S by E, N by W, S by W, NE by E, NE by N, NW by N, NW by W, SE by E, SE by S, SW by W, SW by S.

  2. Supervision

    management, superintendence, control; see administration 1, regulation 1.

  3. An order

    charge, regulation, injunction; see command 1.

  4. A tendency

    bias, bent, proclivity, trend; see drift 1, inclination 1.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

direction Usage Examples

Preposition: of

  • rotation: The direction of rotation can be determined using an analyzer, or a polaroid.

Converse of object

  • reverse: If the polarity of the voltage is reversed the current changes direction but its size is unchanged.

Adjective modifier

  • opposite: The players ' checkers move in opposite directions on a board with 24 spaces.

Modifies a noun

  • arrow: Direction arrows may be disabled from the view menu.

Noun used with modifier

  • wind: But bad luck and a change in the wind direction brought him down mid ocean, 700 miles from Europe.
direction usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

direction quotes

Here I must say, in my eighty-sixth year, I do not feel greatly different from when I was eighty-five. This is my final word. It is time for me to become an apprentice once more. I have not settled in which direction. But somewhere, sometime soon.

-Baron

We must travel in the direction of our fears.

-Berryman,John originally John Allyn Smith

Time has three dimensions and one positive pitch or direction. It is therefore not so much like any river or any sea as like the Sea of Galilee, which has the Jordan running through it and giving a current to the whole.

-Hopkins, SirAnthony

direction quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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MLA Style

"direction." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/direction>

APA Style

direction. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/direction

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