All 43 Uses of

direct
in
The Fountainhead

He piloted her through the sparse crowd, his fingers closing over her elbow once in a while, letting her catch his eyes directed at her young face more often than at the paintings.
Chpt 1.5

directed = focused or pointed

# The letter on Cameron's desk informed him regretfully that after earnest consideration, the board of directors of the Security Trust Company had not been able to accept his plans for the building to house the new Astoria branch of the Company and that the commission had been awarded to the firm of Gould & Pettingill.†
Chpt 1.5

board of directors = members of a board that oversee the affairs of a corporation or other institution

The vice-president, who had asked Cameron to submit drawings, had said: "I know, some of the directors won't see it as I do.†
Chpt 1.5

directors = members of a board that oversee the affairs of a corporation or other institution; or supervisors (people in charge)

It's the board of directors that will have to decide.†
Chpt 1.13

board of directors = members of a board that oversee the affairs of a corporation or other institution

Then he was called before the board of directors of the Janss-Stuart Real Estate Company.†
Chpt 1.13

The letter was from Mr. Janss and it began: "Dear Mr. Roark, I am sorry to inform you that our board of directors find themselves unable to grant you the commission for..."†
Chpt 1.13

He was asked by Mr. Weidler, a member of the board of directors, who was a friend of young Richard Sanborn.†
Chpt 1.14

Sitting close to her, he turned and looked at her directly, his glance compelling like an open hint, hoping to make the silence significant between them.
Chpt 2.5 *

directly = straight (focusing where stated rather than including it as part of a larger focus; or a careful look rather than a quick glance)

I'll have a chapter on boards of directors.†
Chpt 2.10

directors = members of a board that oversee the affairs of a corporation or other institution; or supervisors (people in charge)

All I mean is that a board of directors is one or two ambitious men—and a lot of ballast.†
Chpt 2.10

board of directors = members of a board that oversee the affairs of a corporation or other institution

If the violence of the battles which people never hear about could be measured in material statistics, the battle of Kent Lansing against the board of directors of the Aquitania Corporation would have been listed among the greatest carnages of history.†
Chpt 2.10

A meeting of the board of directors of the Wynand Enterprises, Inc., had been scheduled for eleven-thirty that morning.†
Chpt 3.1

The directors were not certain of their functions or purpose.†
Chpt 3.1

directors = members of a board that oversee the affairs of a corporation or other institution; or supervisors (people in charge)

The directors were not allowed to stop or notice Wynand's presence.†
Chpt 3.1

Toohey entered, a cautious half-smile on his face, a smile mocking himself and his boss, but with a delicate sense of balance, sixty percent of the mockery directed at himself.
Chpt 3.1

directed = aimed, or intended for

His face had assumed the expression it was to wear for the rest of his life: not quite a smile, but a motionless look of irony directed at the whole world.
Chpt 3.1 *

His glance was directed at Roark with a soft emphasis, almost with tenderness; as if he were showing that he wished to treat Roark cautiously, to spare him intact for a purpose of his own.
Chpt 4.3

Keating realized that there had been art and skill and its own kind of illogical energy in the career of Guy Francon, even if the art consisted only of his social charm and the energy was directed at snaring bewildered millionaires.
Chpt 4.7

She acquired a permanent job by getting herself appointed Director of Social Recreation for Cortlandt.†
Chpt 4.12

standard suffix: 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 Director of Social Recreation departed for Washington to discuss the matter of a Little Theater and a Meeting Hall she wished added to the next two buildings of Cortlandt.†
Chpt 4.12

His childless wife was a member of the Board of Directors of the Workshop for Social Study; Toohey, its star lecturer, had introduced her to the Workshop.†
Chpt 4.15

board of directors = members of a board that oversee the affairs of a corporation or other institution

IN THE glass-smooth mahogany of the long table reserved for the board of directors there was a monogram in colored wood—G W—reproduced from his signature.†
Chpt 4.16

It had always annoyed the directors.†
Chpt 4.16

directors = members of a board that oversee the affairs of a corporation or other institution; or supervisors (people in charge)

The directors sat around the table.†
Chpt 4.16

The directors caught themselves in peculiar thoughts: some thought of British tailors, others—of the House of Lords—of the Tower of London—of the executed English King—or was it a Chancellor?†
Chpt 4.16

The ovals were directed at Toohey.
Chpt 4.19

directed = pointed, aimed, or intended for

Peter, simpler, more direct, as honest as you can make of a dishonest thing.†
Chpt 1.14

Just ask anyone in the village to direct you.†
Chpt 2.2

There was nothing to concern him directly in what had happened, except his wish that it had been someone else, anyone but Steven Mallory; and that he didn't know why he should wish this.†
Chpt 2.3 *

It seemed to be the first direct communication between them.†
Chpt 2.4

Ellsworth did not sneak or hide, but committed his act openly, with systematic deliberation: he walked to the tap, turned it on, stood in the middle of the lawn and directed the hose at Johnny, his aim faultless—with Johnny's mother just a few steps behind him down the street, with his own mother and father and the visiting minister in full view on the Toohey porch.†
Chpt 2.9

When an S.O.S. was received from a ship sinking in a storm off the Atlantic coast, Wynand himself sped to the scene with his crew, ahead of the Coast Guard; Wynand directed the rescue and brought back an exclusive story with photographs of himself climbing a ladder over raging waves, a baby in his arms.†
Chpt 3.1

Not through as direct a motivation as I believe you're thinking.†
Chpt 3.3

He thought crazily that it sounded as if Wynand held his fist closed over his voice and directed each syllable.†
Chpt 3.5

This was the way the town told her, a direct penetration which neither her clothes nor her mind could stop.†
Chpt 3.5

The city became a friendly sight, an abstraction with which no possible communication could be established, like the sky, a spectacle to be admired, but of no direct concern in their lives.†
Chpt 3.8

If you want it said directly, as you did, now I'm happy.†
Chpt 4.2

I am still dealing with him—though not directly.†
Chpt 4.7

She saw his eyes, direct, understanding.†
Chpt 4.9

She stopped for red lights that hung in the air over crossings of anonymous streets in unknown suburbs, she turned corners, she passed other cars, and she was certain that no accident could happen to her tonight; her car was directed by remote control—one of those automatic rays she'd read about—was it a beacon or a radio beam?†
Chpt 4.12

Direct it toward a goal destructive of all integrity.†
Chpt 4.14

A world where no man will hold a desire for himself, but will direct all his efforts to satisfy the desires of his neighbor who'll have no desires except to satisfy the desires of the next neighbor who'll have no desires—around the globe, Peter.†
Chpt 4.14

It was right that the city should now direct his way and that he should be moved by the pull of chance corners.†
Chpt 4.16

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Best Example Sentences
From Other Sources
Grouped by 3 Meanings

Definitions:

(1) (direct as in: directly above; or buy direct)
without anything in between -- whether in time, space, or involvement
(2) (direct as in: gave a direct answer)
straightforward -- often clear, open, or blunt in speech or behavior
(3) (direct as in: direct a question; or direct a film)
to guide, aim, or manage -- such as actions, attention, speech, a project or company
(4) (meaning too rare to warrant focus)
meaning too rare to warrant focus:

Direct can take on many specialized meanings not included in this dictionary.
As an adjective or adverb, direct usually means there is a clear or straight connection with nothing in the way. It can also mean easy to understand, without confusion. For example:
- Direct action – taking quick and clear steps to make something happen
- Direct descendant – someone who comes straight from an ancestor, like a grandchild
- Direct line (in genealogy) – a family connection that goes straight from one generation to the next
- Direct deposit – money that is sent straight into a bank account
- Direct object – in a sentence, the person or thing that receives the action of the verb
- Direct kick – in sports, a kick where the ball can go straight into the goal without touching another player
- Direct cost – a cost that comes straight from making a product or providing a service
- Direct investment – putting money directly into a company or project
- Direct elections – when people vote for leaders without going through an extra step
- Direct current (DC) – a type of electric flow that moves in only one direction
As a verb, most all of the senses of direct involve giving orders or aiming.

Page Numbers by Book Edition

direct in The Fountainhead

direct
in
The Fountainhead