All 20 Uses of

direct
in
Unbroken, by Hillenbrand

As it leveled off, Zamperini could see the muzzles of the machine guns, aimed directly at them.
p. xviii.8

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

It was coming from directly above the house.
p. 3.3

directly = in a straight line

On the night of Torrance's church bell miracle, a well-directed flashlight would have revealed Pete's legs dangling from the tree alongside Louie's.
p. 8.4 *

directed = aimed

That fall, while Louie was on his way to becoming an airman, an urgent letter landed on the desk of J. Edgar Hoover, director of the FBI.
p. 45.9

director = supervisor (person in charge)

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 other engineer was Virginia native Clarence Douglas, who would operate one of the two side-directed waist guns, behind the wings.
p. 58.3

directed = pointed

Pillsbury looked to the side and saw yellow dashes of tracer fire, heading directly toward them.
p. 75.5

directly = in a straight line

For a moment, the Zero continued to speed directly at the nose of Super Man.
p. 97.2

directly = straight (in a straight line)

The Zero reached the top of its arc, leveled off, and sped directly toward Super Man.
p. 100.3

He gave Deasy roughly the same instruction but directed him to a slightly different area.
p. 115.6

directed = sent

As hunger bleated inside them, the men experienced a classic symptom of starvation, the inability to direct their thoughts away from food.
p. 142.8

direct = focus

The shark kept coming, directly at Louie's head.
p. 155.5

directly = straight (in a straight line)

If they were right in their belief that they were drifting directly west, then the Marshalls and Gilberts were roughly equidistant from them.
p. 159.3

His eyes were to be directed downward at all times.
p. 192.8

directed = pointed

And after the news of Louie's death broke, the film director Cecil B. DeMille showed up to do a radio interview with the family for the Sixth War Bond Drive.
p. 255.6

director = person in charge of making a film

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.

Louie was standing directly underneath the largest air battle yet fought over Japan.
p. 274.2

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

With some effort, Louie hoisted it up, and the Bird ordered him to lift it high and hold it directly over his head.
p. 295.6 *

directly = straight (in a straight line)

It carried through the air westward, directly toward the river.
p. 307.2

He had a direct gaze, a stern jawline, and a southern sway in his voice, the product of a childhood spent on a North Carolina dairy farm.
p. 370.0

direct = straight and steady

He had a curious affinity for eating food directly out of cans, cold.
p. 385.6

directly = straight (without anything in between)

He tossed his head high, jutted out his chin, and directed a hard gaze at Simon.
p. 396.3

directed = pointed

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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 Unbroken, by Hillenbrand

direct
in
Unbroken, by Hillenbrand