guide the actors in (plays and films)
"After years of working on stage, she finally moved behind the camera to direct a new film for the first time."
be in charge of
"As the new project manager, Sarah will now direct all design decisions for the team."
give directions to; point somebody into a certain direction
"I directed them towards the town hall"
direct the course; determine the direction of travelling
"The captain had to adjust his sails to directly steer the ship through the narrow gap between the rocks."
plan and direct (a complex undertaking)
"he masterminded the robbery"
To manage, control, steer.
"She decided to direct the project herself rather than delegate it to a team member."
In plain English: To direct something means to point it toward a specific target or guide it in a particular way.
"Please direct all your questions to the manager."
Usage: Use direct as a verb when you are personally managing a project or steering a vehicle, such as directing traffic or directing an orchestra. Do not use it to mean pointing something out, which requires the word indicate instead.
direct in spatial dimensions; proceeding without deviation or interruption; straight and short
"a direct route"
"a direct flight"
"a direct hit"
having no intervening persons, agents, conditions
"in direct sunlight"
"in direct contact with the voters"
"direct exposure to the disease"
"a direct link"
"the direct cause of the accident"
"direct vote"
straightforward in means or manner or behavior or language or action
"a direct question"
"a direct response"
"a direct approach"
moving from west to east on the celestial sphere; or--for planets--around the sun in the same direction as the Earth
"After weeks of appearing to drift backward against the stars, Mars finally went direct and resumed its normal eastward journey across the sky."
similar in nature or effect or relation to another quantity
"a term is in direct proportion to another term if it increases (or decreases) as the other increases (or decreases)"
Proceeding without deviation or interruption.
"The train arrived on time because it traveled in a direct route from London to Paris without any stops."
In plain English: Direct means happening immediately without any steps in between.
"She gave me a direct answer to my question without any hesitation."
Usage: Use direct as an adjective to describe something that goes straight from one point to another without any stops or detours, such as a direct flight or a direct line of sight. Avoid using it to mean "immediate" in casual conversation unless you are specifically emphasizing the lack of intermediate steps in a process.
Directly.
"He looked me directly in the eye when he told me the bad news."
In plain English: Direct means happening immediately without any delays or things getting in the way.
"The driver went direct to the airport to avoid traffic."
Usage: Use "direct" as an adverb only when you mean "immediately" or "straightforwardly," such as in "the road goes direct to the beach." Do not use it to describe how something is managed or supervised, which requires the adjective form instead.
The word direct comes from the Latin dīrēctus, which originally meant "straightened." It entered English through French and eventually took on its current sense of guiding or aiming something in a specific direction.