direction
Pluraldirections
- 1A line, real or imagined, followed from a starting point or toward a destination; it may be relative, geographical, or rotational.
She pointed in the direction of the mountains.
The compass showed we were heading in the wrong direction.
UsageUse in: go in the wrong direction (not
incorrect: to the wrong direction); something comes from the direction of a place.Similarway, bearing, heading, path, trajectory
Note
In Charles W. Chesnutt's The House Behind the Cedars (1900), a young woman comes down Front Street from the direction of the market-house.
- 2A general trend or course chosen for future action.
The new CEO set a bold direction for the firm.
Voters made it clear they wanted a different direction for the country.
UsageOften move in a new direction, a change of direction, or set the direction for something.
Similarcourse
- 3Guidance that explains how to reach a place or how to carry out a task or use a product; most often used in the plural.
Read the directions carefully before you assemble the crib.
She texted me directions from the train station to her apartment.
UsageUsually directions: ask for directions, give directions to the station, follow the directions on a packet.
Similarinstruction
- 4Guidance or instruction given to tell someone what to do or how to proceed.
Under her direction, the team finished the project ahead of schedule.
The volunteers needed some direction before the event could begin.
UsageUsually without a: under her direction, need some direction, give clear direction.
Similarguidance, supervision, instruction
- 5The work and skill of the director in shaping a film or stage production.
Critics praised the film's direction more than its script.
Her direction brought a fresh energy to the old play.
Similarstaging
Less common meanings
- 6A group responsible for overseeing or running something.
I shall not rest satisfied with merely employing my capital in insuring ships. I shall buy up some good Life Assurance shares, and cut into the Direction.
1860, Charles Dickens, Great ExpectationsSimilarboard, management, directorate, leadership
Note
An older word for a company's governing body, often capitalized like a title. In Great Expectations (1860–61), a young man with dreams of Life Assurance shares means to "cut into the Direction," which is to say buy his way onto the board. The usage now reads as dated. In modern writing, board or directorate is the natural choice, and this sense is best kept for period settings.
Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
- Direction formerly meant a governing or managing body. en.wiktionary.org
- Great Expectations was first published in 1860–61. en.wikipedia.org
- A young man, Herbert Pocket, proposes buying Life Assurance shares to gain a place on the governing body; the quoted wording is accurate. gutenberg.org
- 7The details of where a person lives, written so that letters and parcels can reach them; a person's address.
Her aunt Leonella was still at Cordova, and she knew not her direction.
1796, Matthew Lewis, The MonkNote
A letter-writer's word: the direction was what you wrote so that a letter would find its way, and the word also meant where a person could be reached. In Matthew Lewis's The Monk (1796), not knowing an aunt's direction means not knowing where to write to her. Outside period fiction, use address, or a modern reader will hear the compass meaning instead.
Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
- Direction meant the information written on a letter's envelope to enable delivery. gutenberg.org
- Matthew Lewis wrote The Monk, first published in 1796. en.wikipedia.org
- The Monk describes Antonia as not knowing her aunt's direction, meaning her address. gutenberg.org
Practice
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Origin
This word came through Middle English "direccioun" and Old French "direccion" from Latin "dīrēctiō". It is equivalent to "direct" plus the suffix "-ion".
Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
- Direction came through Middle English direccioun and Old French direccion from Latin dīrēctiō. en.wiktionary.org
- Direction is equivalent to direct plus the suffix -ion. en.wiktionary.org