Sample sentences for DIRECT - verbalworkout.com

6 meanings

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1 —as in:
depart directly

Definition

without delay, or in the quickest manner, or without going somewhere else first

I walked directly to work.

directly = without interruption in the straightest or quickest possible manner

Other Uses (with this meaning)

Let me get directly to the point.

directly = immediately

Can I get a direct flight to Los Angeles.

direct = without having to change planes

Can I get a flight that goes directly to Los Angeles.

directly = without going somewhere else first

Next morning Winnie went out to the fence directly after breakfast.
Natalie Babbitt -- Tuck Everlasting

directly = immediately

I drove directly to Nick's apartment.
Tara Westover -- Educated

directly = immediately

When he returned, he was to be brought directly to her.
Louis Sachar -- Holes

directly = immediately

Atticus would flee to his office directly after dinner, where if we sometimes looked in on him, we would find him sitting back in his swivel chair reading.
Harper Lee -- To Kill a Mockingbird

directly = immediately

She must go directly to IT.
Madeleine L'Engle -- A Wrinkle in Time

directly = immediately

As I was moving the bone some of the marrow must have escaped into his blood stream and gone directly to his heart and stopped it.
John Knowles -- A Separate Peace

directly = immediately

Dictionary / pronunciation — Google^®Dictionary / more samples — Oxford^® US Dictionary list — Onelook.com^®

2 —as in:
directly above; or buy direct from

Definition

straight (exactly where stated); or without involvement of anything in between

The exact meaning of this sense of direct is subject to its context. For example:

"The road runs directly to Las Vegas." — straight (without varying from a straight line)
"It was a direct hit." — exact
"The plant is in direct sunlight." — unobstructed (without anything in between)
"She wants a direct meeting with him." — personal (without other people in between)
"She paid direct attention to what he was reading." — close
"a direct gaze" — straight, steady, or focused—not a brief glance taken while generally looking at other things; not a sideways look

This flower does best in direct sunlight.

direct = without intervention from anything (in this case, not sun that is partially blocked or reflected)

Other Uses (with this meaning)

Buy direct from the manufacturer.

direct = without intervention from anyone else (in this case, without another company between the manufacturer and the buyer)

She reports directly to the president of the company.

directly = without intervention from anyone (In this case, she doesn't report to someone else who reports to the president. She reports to the president personally.)

I would like to speak directly to the manager.

directly = personally (without other people in between)

It felt good to sit inside the truck, out of the direct rays of the sun.
Louis Sachar -- Holes

direct = unobstructed (with nothing in between)

She looked directly into the official's eyes and spoke calmly as if she were giving simple directions to a servant.
Pam Munoz Ryan -- Esperanza Rising

directly = straight (exactly where stated; used for emphasis)

Hassan held the slingshot pointed directly at Assef's face.
Khaled Hosseini -- The Kite Runner

directly = straight (exactly where stated; used for emphasis)

Does it fly direct, or will it have to lay over in Minneapolis?
Tara Westover -- Educated

direct = without any stops in between

After purifying half a pot of water, I place it in direct sunlight and add several egg-size hot stones to the water.
Suzanne Collins -- The Hunger Games

direct = without anything in between

Perhaps I cannot strike directly at your son, but the Fates say nothing about what I can do to you.
Madeline Miller -- Circe

directly = straight (without anything in between)

Dictionary / pronunciation — Google^®Dictionary / more samples — Oxford^® US Dictionary list — Onelook.com^®

3 —as in:
was direct in my instructions

Definition

straightforward (uncomplicated or simple — perhaps also indicating openness and honesty)

I left them with direct instructions.

direct = straightforward

Other Uses (with this meaning)

She is easy to work with. She is direct in her communications and expectations.

direct = straightforward (clear and unambiguous)

Did she say that directly or just imply it.

directly = in a straightforward manner (clean and explicit)

Strauss again brought up my need to speak and write simply and directly so that people will understand me.
Daniel Keyes -- Flowers for Algernon — Novel

directly = in a straightforward (uncomplicated) manner

There's grumbling, but no direct defiance.
Neal Shusterman -- Unwind

direct = clear, or straightforward

It was indirectly due to Cody that Gatsby drank so little.
F. Scott Fitzgerald -- The Great Gatsby

indirectly = in a complicated, non-obvious manner

(Editor's note: The prefix "in-" in indirectly means not and reverses the meaning of directly. This is the same pattern you see in words like invisible, incomplete, and insecure.)

Dad whipped us with his belt, but never out of anger, and only if we back-talked or disobeyed a direct order, which was rare.
Jeannette Walls -- The Glass Castle

direct = clear and specific

"I don't have much time, so I'm going to be direct," he says.
Veronica Roth -- Insurgent

direct = straightforward (specific and to the point)

  "When they find me, what are they going to do?"
  ...
  The twins answered his question indirectly. "You got to go now, Ralph. For your own good."
William Golding -- Lord of the Flies

indirectly = without specifically responding to the question

(Editor's note: The prefix "in-" in indirectly means not and reverses the meaning of directly. This is the same pattern you see in words like invisible, incomplete, and insecure.)

He is steeped in sorrow, exhausted, and more direct than he ever was.
Arthur Miller -- The Crucible

direct = straightforward (specific and to the point)

Dictionary / pronunciation — Google^®Dictionary / more samples — Oxford^® US Dictionary list — Onelook.com^®

4 —as in:
directed her question to

Definition

to indicate direction; or to cause movement or focus in a direction or towards an object

The exact meaning of this sense of direct is subject to its context. For example:

"intentionally directed fire at unarmed civilians" — aimed a gun
"directed the question to her" — aimed a question
"directed her north" — pointed in a particular direction
"directed attention to the 3rd paragraph" — focused attention on a particular object
"The sound of her voice directed him to the kitchen." — guided or gave directions to someone to help them move to a particular place
"She directed him to the airport." — gave directions to send someone to a particular place
"She directed the boat north." — steered it
"directed the letter to" — send a letter to a particular person by putting a name and address on it

The sprinkler head needs to be fixed so it directs water away from the house.

directs = aims

Other Uses (with this meaning)

Please direct your question to the appropriate department by selecting one from this list.

direct = aim or send

Please don't direct your anger toward me.

direct = aim or focus

Please direct your attention to the north end zone.

direct = aim or focus

All the cameras were pointed directly at her.

directly = aiming straight

The officers had a spotlight attached to their vehicle, and they directed it at me sitting in my car.
Bryan Stevenson -- Just Mercy

directed = pointed or aimed

Connor's shots had been very precise; they were low, and directed at a corner of the crate.
Neal Shusterman -- Unwind

directed = aimed

Though Iris was held in place by five large bolts, the force was directed entirely to a single one.
Andy Weir -- The Martian

directed = focused or concentrated

Then the voice was directed to Meg.
Madeleine L'Engle -- A Wrinkle in Time

directed = aimed (intended for)

Jake Wexler made the emergency telephone call and sent Theo to the lobby to direct the ambulance attendants.
Ellen Raskin -- The Westing Game

direct = give directions to

Dictionary / pronunciation — Google^®Dictionary / more samples — Oxford^® US Dictionary list — Onelook.com^®

5 —as in:
directed the jury to...

Definition

give instructions or commands

On the SAT test, some questions direct you to look at an underlined or numbered portion of a passage.

direct = instruct

Other Uses (with this meaning)

The judge directed the jury to ignore the question.

directed = instructed (gave an instruction or command)

She directed them to take their seats.

directed = instructed (gave an instruction or command)

The sign directed us to turn to the right.

directed = gave an instruction

Upon reaching New Bedford, we were directed to the house of Mr. Nathan Johnson,
Frederick Douglass -- The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

directed = given directions

Grandma led me into the bathroom and watched as I washed my hands, then directed me to dry them on the rose-colored towel.
Tara Westover -- Educated

directed = instructed

On at least two occasions I stopped cases where to my mind the accused was palpably innocent, directing the jury that there was no case.
Agatha Christie -- And Then There Were None

directing = instructing

"Put your hands on me," he directed, aware that in such anguish The Giver might need reminding.
Lois Lowry -- The Giver

directed = instructed

Then, grabbing the only shovels, he handed one to me, holding on to the other himself, and directed Little Man and Christopher-John to each take two buckets.
Mildred D. Taylor -- Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

directed = instructed

I would need to direct her explicitly to bring Nobu to the old theater; they wouldn't come upon us there purely by accident.
Arthur Golden -- Memoirs of a Geisha

direct = instruct

Dictionary / pronunciation — Google^®Dictionary / more samples — Oxford^® US Dictionary list — Onelook.com^®

6 —as in:
directed the movie

Definition

supervise, control, or to be in charge of

She directed the move.

directed = supervised the making of

Other Uses (with this meaning)

She directs our organization.

directs = is in charge of

She is the organization's director.

director = someone in charge of an organization or project

(editor's note: The suffix "-or" often converts a verb to a noun that means "a person who." This is the pattern you see in words like actor, editor, and visitor.)

Will you direct the effort.

direct = be in charge of

I'd come to BYU to study music, so that one day I could direct a church choir.
Tara Westover -- Educated

direct = supervise (be in charge of)

Far down the fields toward the river there was a wooden tower about ten feet high where the instructor had stood to direct the senior calisthenics.
John Knowles -- A Separate Peace

direct = supervise (be in charge of)

The director of the CIA said Pakistan was "either involved or incompetent."
Malala Yousafzai -- I Am Malala

director = person in charge

(editor's note: The suffix "-or" often converts a verb to a noun that means "a person who." This is the pattern you see in words like actor, editor, and visitor.)

The man who let us in introduced himself as Zaman, the director of the orphanage.
Khaled Hosseini -- The Kite Runner

director = supervisor (person in charge)

(editor's note: The suffix "-or" often converts a verb to a noun that means "a person who." This is the pattern you see in words like actor, editor, and visitor.)

"Lister Munk, Pipeworks director," he said.
Jeanne DuPrau -- The City of Ember

director = supervisor (person in charge)

(editor's note: The suffix "-or" often converts a verb to a noun that means "a person who." This is the pattern you see in words like actor, editor, and visitor.)

Even Napoleon, who was directing operations from the rear, had the tip of his tail chipped by a pellet.
George Orwell -- Animal Farm

directing = supervising

Dictionary / pronunciation — Google^®Dictionary / more samples — Oxford^® US Dictionary list — Onelook.com^®

Less commonly:

Direct can take on many specialized meanings not included in this dictionary.

As an adjective or adverb, most all senses of direct involve an uninterrupted connection and/or clarity (clear, unambiguous communication) as in:

direct action
direct descendant
direct line (with regard to genealogy)
direct deposit
direct object
direct kick
direct cost
direct investment
direct elections
direct current

As a verb, most all of the senses of direct involve giving orders or aiming.

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