direction
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di·rec·tion
(dĭ-rĕk′shən, dī-)n.
1. The management, supervision, or guidance of a group or operation: The manager's direction of the sales campaign has been highly effective.
2. The art or action of directing a musical, theatrical, or cinematic production.
3.
a. An authoritative order or command: The supervisor shouted directions to employees in the warehouse.
b. Music A word or phrase in a score indicating how a passage is to be played or sung.
c. directions Instructions in how to do something or reach a destination: read the directions before assembling the grill; asked for directions in how to get to the lake.
4.
a. The course along which a person or thing is moving or must move to reach a destination: The boat left the bay and sailed in a northerly direction.
b. The point toward which a person or thing faces or is oriented: The twins stood back to back, looking in opposite directions.
5. A course or line of development; a tendency toward a particular end or goal: charting a new direction for the company.
[Middle English, arrangement, from Latin dīrēctiō, dīrēctiōn-, from dīrēctus, past participle of dīrigere, to direct; see direct.]
di·rec′tion·less adj.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
direction
(dɪˈrɛkʃən; daɪ-)n
1. the act of directing or the state of being directed
2. management, control, or guidance
3. (Theatre) the work of a stage or film director
4. (Film) the work of a stage or film director
5. the course or line along which a person or thing moves, points, or lies
6. (Navigation) 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
7. the place towards which a person or thing is directed
8. a line of action; course
9. (Communications & Information) the name and address on a letter, parcel, etc
10. (Classical Music) music the process of conducting an orchestra, choir, etc
11. (Music, other) 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
12. (Mathematics) (modifier) maths
a. (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
b. (of a cosine) being the cosine of any of the direction angles
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
di•rec•tion
(dɪˈrɛk ʃən, ˈdaɪ-)n.
1. an act or instance of directing.
2. the line along which anything lies, faces, moves, etc., with reference to the point or region toward which it is directed.
3. the point or region itself: The direction is north.
4. a position on a line extending from a specific point toward a point of the compass or toward the nadir or the zenith.
5. a line of thought or action or a tendency or inclination.
6. Usu., directions. instruction or guidance for making, using, etc.
7. order; command.
8. management; control; supervision.
9. an instruction by a stage or film director, musical conductor, author, or composer regarding the interpretation of a work, the actions or objectives of performers, technical effects, etc.
10. the technique, art, or business of giving such instruction.
11. a purpose or orientation toward a goal that serves to guide or motivate; focus.
[1375–1425; late Middle English (< Middle French) < Latin dīrēctiō arranging in line, straightening. See direct, -tion]
di•rec′tion•less, adj.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
direction
In artillery and naval gunfire support, a term used by a spotter and/or observer in a call for fire to indicate the bearing of the spotting line. See also bearing; call for fire; naval gunfire support; spotter; spotting line.
Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms. US Department of Defense 2005.
Direction
as the crow flies In a straight line; by the most direct route. This expression stems from the widely held belief that a crow flies in a straight line from one point to another. Sporting Magazine used the phrase as early as 1810.
bolt upright Straight up; stiffly upright; on end. This expression derives from bolt meaning ‘projectile, arrow.’ It was used as early as 1386 in Chaucer’s Reeve’s Tale.
follow one’s nose See INTUITION.
from pillar to post Aimlessly or futilely from place to place; purposelessly from one thing to another; from predicament to predicament, often with the sense of being beleaguered or harassed. The expression is among the oldest in the language, first appearing as from post to pillar.
Thus from post to pillar was he made to dance. (Lydgate, Assembly of Gods, 1420)
There is little agreement regarding its origin. One theory holds that it stems from tennis but fails to explain how. Other sources see its roots in manège: the pillar being the column at the center of the riding ground, the posts those that in pairs mark its circumference. Yet another hypothesizes that it derives from the custom of bloodthirsty crowds following convicted persons “from pillory to whipping-post.” Today the phrase most often describes a lack of direction or purpose or the futility of receiving the runaround, as with bureaucratic red tape. It also exists as an adjective.
The pillar-to-post travels from one official to another. (Pall Mall Gazette, August, 1887)
go around Robin Hood’s barn To arrive at one’s destination by a circuitous route; to proceed in a very roundabout way. The origin of the expression is unknown. It has no logical association with the legendary Robin Hood, who, of course, had no barn, though it may have been formed by analogy with other possessives whose meanings are connected with that figure’s exploits: Robin Hood’s mile ‘one several times the recognized length’; Robin Hood’s bargain ‘a cheap purchase.’ The expression appeared in print at least as early as the 18th century.
I can sell them abundantly fast without the trouble of going round Robin Hood’s barn. (Mason Locke Weems, Letters, 1797)
make a beeline See PACE.
Picturesque Expressions: A Thematic Dictionary, 1st Edition. © 1980 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Noun | 1. |  direction - a line leading to a place or point; "he looked the other direction"; "didn't know the way home"trend, course - general line of orientation; "the river takes a southern course"; "the northeastern trend of the coast" east-west direction - in a direction parallel with lines of latitude north-south direction - in a direction parallel with lines of longitude qibla - the direction of the Kaaba toward which Muslims turn for their daily prayers |
| 2. | direction - the spatial relation between something and the course along which it points or moves; "he checked the direction and velocity of the wind" spatial relation, position - the spatial property of a place where or way in which something is situated; "the position of the hands on the clock"; "he specified the spatial relations of every piece of furniture on the stage" frontage - the direction in which something (such as a building) faces orientation - position or alignment relative to points of the compass or other specific directions opposition - a direction opposite to another windward - the direction from which the wind is coming leeward - the direction in which the wind is blowing seaward - the direction toward the sea compass point, point - any of 32 horizontal directions indicated on the card of a compass; "he checked the point on his compass" north - the direction corresponding to the northward cardinal compass point northeast - the direction corresponding to the northeastward compass point east - the direction corresponding to the eastward cardinal compass point southeast - the direction corresponding to the southeastward compass point south - the direction corresponding to the southward cardinal compass point southwest - the direction corresponding to the southwestward compass point west - the direction corresponding to the westward cardinal compass point northwest - the direction corresponding to the northwestward compass point | |
| 3. | direction - a general course along which something has a tendency to develop; "I couldn't follow the direction of his thoughts"; "his ideals determined the direction of his career"; "they proposed a new direction for the firm" inclination, tendency, disposition - an attitude of mind especially one that favors one alternative over others; "he had an inclination to give up too easily"; "a tendency to be too strict" tenor - a settled or prevailing or habitual course of a person's life; "nothing disturbed the even tenor of her ways" | |
| 4. |  direction - something that provides direction or advice as to a decision or course of actionroad map, guideline - a detailed plan or explanation to guide you in setting standards or determining a course of action; "the president said he had a road map for normalizing relations with Vietnam" career counseling - counseling on career opportunities cynosure - something that provides guidance (as Polaris guides mariners); "let faith be your cynosure to walk by" genetic counseling - guidance for prospective parents on the likelihood of genetic disorders in their future children marriage counseling - counseling on marital problems and disagreements | |
| 5. |  direction - the act of managing something; "he was given overall management of the program"; "is the direction of the economy a function of government?"social control - control exerted (actively or passively) by group action conducting - the direction of an orchestra or choir; "he does not use a baton for conducting" database management - creation and maintenance of a database finance - the management of money and credit and banking and investments homemaking - the management of a household misconduct - bad or dishonest management by persons supposed to act on another's behalf mismanagement, misdirection - management that is careless or inefficient; "he accomplished little due to the mismanagement of his energies" treatment, handling - the management of someone or something; "the handling of prisoners"; "the treatment of water sewage"; "the right to equal treatment in the criminal justice system" superintendence, supervising, supervision, oversight - management by overseeing the performance or operation of a person or group administration, disposal - a method of tending to or managing the affairs of a some group of people (especially the group's business affairs) empowerment, authorisation, authorization - the act of conferring legality or sanction or formal warrant disenfranchisement - the act of withdrawing certification or terminating a franchise channelisation, channelization, canalisation, canalization - management through specified channels of communication | |
| 6. |  direction - a message describing how something is to be done; "he gave directions faster than she could follow them"rule - any one of a systematic body of regulations defining the way of life of members of a religious order; "the rule of St. Dominic" rubric - directions for the conduct of Christian church services (often printed in red in a prayer book) misdirection - incorrect directions or instructions name and address, destination, address - written directions for finding some location; written on letters or packages that are to be delivered to that location markup - detailed stylistic instructions for typesetting something that is to be printed; manual markup is usually written on the copy (e.g. underlining words that are to be set in italics) prescription - directions prescribed beforehand; the action of prescribing authoritative rules or directions; "I tried to follow her prescription for success" rule - directions that define the way a game or sport is to be conducted; "he knew the rules of chess" stage direction - an instruction written as part of the script of a play style - editorial directions to be followed in spelling and punctuation and capitalization and typographical display system command - a computer user's instruction (not part of a program) that calls for action by the computer's executive program | |
| 7. | direction - the act of setting and holding a course; "a new council was installed under the direction of the king" driving - the act of controlling and steering the movement of a vehicle or animal control - the activity of managing or exerting control over something; "the control of the mob by the police was admirable" aim - the action of directing something at an object; "he took aim and fired" celestial guidance - a method of controlling the flight of a missile or spacecraft by reference to the positions of celestial bodies inertial guidance, inertial navigation - a method of controlling the flight of a missile by devices that respond to inertial forces command guidance - a method of controlling the flight of a missile by commands originating from the ground or from another missile terrestrial guidance - a method of controlling the flight of a missile by devices that respond to the strength and direction of the earth's gravitational field | |
| 8. | direction - a formal statement of a command or injunction to do something; "the judge's charge to the jury" misdirection - an incorrect charge to a jury given by a judge | |
| 9. | direction - the concentration of attention or energy on something; "the focus of activity shifted to molecular biology"; "he had no direction in his life" particularism - a focus on something particular |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
direction
noun
1. way, course, line, road, track, bearing, route, path, orientation We drove ten miles in the opposite direction.
2. tendency, attitude, bent, current, trend, leaning, drift, bias, orientation, tack, tenor, proclivity They threatened a mass walk-out if the party did not change direction.
3. management, government, control, charge, administration, leadership, command, guidance, supervision, governance, oversight, superintendence The house was built under the direction of his partner.
plural noun
1. instructions, rules, information, plan, briefing, regulations, recommendations, indication, guidelines, guidance Don't throw away the directions until we've finished cooking.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
direction
noun1. Authoritative control over the affairs of others:
2. The continuous exercise of authority over a political unit:
3. An act or instance of guiding:
4. An authoritative indication to be obeyed:
behest, bidding, charge, command, commandment, dictate, directive, injunction, instruction (often used in plural), mandate, order, word.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
إرْشاد، تَوْجيهتَوَجيـهتَوْجِيهتَوْجيهات، إرْشاداتوُجْهَه، جِهَه، إتِّجاه
směrvedeníinstrukcenávodorientace
retningvejledningbrugsanvisningdirigeringinstruktion
suunta
smjerrežija
leiîbeinaleiîbeiningarleiîsögnstefna, átt
方向
방향
smerrežija
riktning
ทิศทาง
phương hướng
direction
[dɪˈrekʃən]A. N
1. (= course) → dirección f
in the direction of → hacia, en dirección a
sense of direction → sentido m de la orientación
in the opposite direction → en sentido contrario
in all directions → por todos lados
they ran off in different directions → salieron corriendo cada uno por su lado
in the direction of → hacia, en dirección a
sense of direction → sentido m de la orientación
in the opposite direction → en sentido contrario
in all directions → por todos lados
they ran off in different directions → salieron corriendo cada uno por su lado
3. directions (= instructions) (for use) → instrucciones fpl; (to a place) → señas fpl
directions for use → modo m de empleo, instrucciones fpl de uso
directions for use → modo m de empleo, instrucciones fpl de uso
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
direction
[daɪˈrɛkʃən dɪˈrɛkʃən] n
[traveller] → direction f
We're going in the wrong direction → Nous allons dans la mauvaise direction.
in the opposite direction → dans l'autre sens
in the direction of → dans la direction de, vers
in all directions (= everywhere) → dans toutes les directions
sense of direction → sens m de l'orientation
We're going in the wrong direction → Nous allons dans la mauvaise direction.
in the opposite direction → dans l'autre sens
in the direction of → dans la direction de, vers
in all directions (= everywhere) → dans toutes les directions
sense of direction → sens m de l'orientation
(CINEMA, TV) → réalisation f directions
npl
(to a place) → indications fpl
to ask for directions → demander sa route, demander son chemin
to ask sb for directions → demander son chemin à qn
to give sb directions to sth → donner des indications à qn pour qch
to ask for directions → demander sa route, demander son chemin
to ask sb for directions → demander son chemin à qn
to give sb directions to sth → donner des indications à qn pour qch
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
direction
n
(lit, fig: = way) → Richtung f; in every direction/all directions → in jede Richtung/alle Richtungen; in the wrong/right direction (lit, fig) → in die falsche/richtige Richtung; in the direction of Hamburg/the hotel → in Richtung Hamburg/des Hotels; what direction did he go in? → in welche Richtung ist er gegangen/gefahren?; a sense of direction (lit) → Orientierungssinn m; (fig) → ein Ziel nt → im Leben; new directions in modern philosophy → neue Wege in der modernen Philosophie
(of film, actors) → Regie f; (of play also) → Spielleitung f; (of radio/TV programme) → Leitung f; under the direction of → unter der Regie von
directions pl (= instructions) → Anweisungen pl; (to a place) → Angaben pl; (for use) → (Gebrauchs)anweisung or -anleitung f; (in recipe etc) → Hinweise pl
direction
:direction finder
n → Peilantenne f
direction key
n (Comput) → Richtungstaste f
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
direction
[dɪˈrɛkʃ/ən]1. n
a. (way) → direzione f (fig) → scopo, direzione
in the direction of → in direzione di
sense of direction → senso dell'orientamento
in the direction of → in direzione di
sense of direction → senso dell'orientamento
b. (management, of business) → direzione f, amministrazione f; (of play, film, programme) → regia
c. directions npl (instructions, to a place) → indicazioni fpl; (for use) → istruzioni fpl; (advice) → chiarimenti mpl
to ask for directions → chiedere la strada
stage directions → didascalie fpl
to ask for directions → chiedere la strada
stage directions → didascalie fpl
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
direct
(diˈrekt) adjective1. straight; following the quickest and shortest way. Is this the most direct route?
2. (of manner etc) straightforward and honest. a direct answer.
3. occurring as an immediate result. His dismissal was a direct result of his rudeness to the manager.
4. exact; complete. Her opinions are the direct opposite of his.
5. in an unbroken line of descent from father to son etc. He is a direct descendant of Napoleon.
verb1. to point, aim or turn in a particular direction. He directed my attention towards the notice.
2. to show the way to. She directed him to the station.
3. to order or instruct. We will do as you direct.
4. to control or organize. A policeman was directing the traffic; to direct a film.
diˈrection (-ʃən) noun1. (the) place or point to which one moves, looks etc. What direction did he go in?; They were heading in my direction (= towards me); I'll find my way all right – I've a good sense of direction.
2. guidance. They are under your direction.
3. (in plural) instructions (eg on how to get somewhere, use something etc). We asked the policeman for directions; I have lost the directions for this washing-machine.
4. the act of aiming or turning (something or someone) towards a certain point.
diˈrectional adjectivediˈrective (-tiv) noun
a general instruction from a higher authority about what is to be done etc.
diˈrectly adverb1. in a direct manner. I went directly to the office.
2. almost at once. He will be here directly.
diˈrectness noundiˈrector noun
a person or thing that directs, eg one of a group of persons who manage the affairs of a business or a person who is in charge of the making of a film, play etc. He is on the board of directors of our firm; The producer and the director quarrelled about the film.
diˈrectory – plural diˈrectories – noun a type of book giving names and addresses etc. a telephone directory.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
direction
→ تَوْجِيه směr retning Richtung κατεύθυνση dirección suunta direction smjer direzione 方向 방향 richting retning kierunek direção направление riktning ทิศทาง yön phương hướng 方向Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
di·rec·tion
n. dirección; instrucción.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
direction
n dirección fEnglish-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.