direct
Other forms: directed; directing; directs; directest
If you direct somebody, you tell them where to go or what to do. You can also direct a play or direct someone to a gas station, by telling them what roads to take.
Most uses of direct involving giving orders. Army officers direct battles, which means they plan what to do and how to carry it out. You can direct a kick toward the goal, which means you send the ball flying toward the net. When used as an adjective, direct often means to the point with no beating around the bush. If someone is direct, it means they say what they mean; if a plant is in direct sunlight, it gets a lot of sun.
Definitions of direct
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direct in spatial dimensions; proceeding without deviation or interruption; straight and short“a direct route”“a direct flight”“a direct hit”
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Synonyms:
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door-to-door
(of e.g. journeys or deliveries) direct from point of origin to point of destination
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nonstop
(of a journey especially a flight) occurring without stops
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point-blank
close enough to go straight to the target
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straightforward
pointed directly ahead
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undeviating, unswerving
going directly ahead from one point to another without veering or turning aside
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through
(of a route or journey etc.) continuing without requiring stops or changes
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straight
having no deviations
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Antonyms:
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indirect
not direct in spatial dimension; not leading by a straight line or course to a destination
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askance, askant, asquint, sidelong, squint, squint-eyed, squinty
(used especially of glances) directed to one side with or as if with doubt or suspicion or envy
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circuitous, devious, roundabout
deviating from a straight course
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diversionary
(of tactics e.g.) likely or designed to confuse or deceive
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meandering, rambling, wandering, winding
of a path e.g.
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crooked
having or marked by bends or angles; not straight or aligned
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door-to-door
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in a straight unbroken line of descent from parent to child“a direct descendant of the king”“direct heredity”
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synonyms:
lineal
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matrilineal, matrilinear
based on or tracing descent through the female line
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patrilineal, patrilinear
based on or tracing descent through the male line
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unilateral
tracing descent from either the paternal or the maternal line only
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related
connected by kinship, common origin, or marriage
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Antonyms:
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collateral, indirect
descended from a common ancestor but through different lines
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related
connected by kinship, common origin, or marriage
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matrilineal, matrilinear
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without deviation
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direct the course; determine the direction of travelling
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synonyms:
channelise, channelize, guide, head, maneuver, manoeuver, manoeuvre, point, steer
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types:
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dock
maneuver into a dock
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sheer
cause to sheer
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pull over
steer a vehicle to the side of the road
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helm
be at or take the helm of
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crab
direct (an aircraft) into a crosswind
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navigate
direct carefully and safely
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stand out
steer away from shore, of ships
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starboard
turn to the right, of helms or rudders
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conn
conduct or direct the steering of a ship or plane
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navigate, pilot
act as the navigator in a car, plane, or vessel and plan, direct, plot the path and position of the conveyance
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canalise, canalize, channel
direct the flow of
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corner, tree
force a person or an animal into a position from which he cannot escape
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park
maneuver a vehicle into a parking space
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dry-dock, drydock
maneuver (a ship) into a drydock
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astrogate
guide in interplanetary travel
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angle-park
park at an angle
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parallel-park
park directly behind another vehicle
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double-park
park a vehicle alongside another
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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”
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synonyms:
unmediated
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immediate
having no intervening medium
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immediate
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lacking compromising or mitigating elements; exact“the direct opposite”
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Synonyms:
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absolute
perfect or complete or pure
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absolute
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in precisely the same words used by a writer or speaker
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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)”
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Antonyms:
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inverse
opposite in nature or effect or relation to another quantity
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reciprocal
of or relating to the multiplicative inverse of a quantity or function
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inverse
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being an immediate result or consequence“a direct result of the accident”
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Synonyms:
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primary
of first rank or importance or value; direct and immediate rather than secondary
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primary
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straightforward in means or manner or behavior or language or action“a direct question”“a direct response”“a direct approach”
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Synonyms:
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bluff
bluntly direct and outspoken but good-natured
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blunt, candid, forthright, frank, free-spoken, outspoken, plainspoken, point-blank, straight-from-the-shoulder
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
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brutal
disagreeably direct and precise
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flat-footed
without reservation
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man-to-man
forthright and honest
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no-nonsense
not tolerating irrelevancies
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plain, unvarnished
free from any effort to soften to disguise
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pointed
direct and obvious in meaning or reference; often unpleasant
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square, straight, straightforward
without evasion or compromise
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upfront
frank and honest
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honest, honorable
not disposed to cheat or defraud; not deceptive or fraudulent
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Antonyms:
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indirect
extended senses; not direct in manner or language or behavior or action
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allusive
characterized by indirect references
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backhanded
roundabout or ambiguous
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circuitous, roundabout
marked by obliqueness or indirection in speech or conduct
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ambagious, circumlocutious, circumlocutory, periphrastic
roundabout and unnecessarily wordy
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devious, oblique
indirect in departing from the accepted or proper way; misleading
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digressive, discursive, excursive, rambling
(of e.g. speech and writing) tending to depart from the main point or cover a wide range of subjects
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hearsay
heard through another rather than directly
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mealy-mouthed, mealymouthed
hesitant to state facts or opinions simply and directly as from e.g. timidity or hypocrisy
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tortuous
not straightforward
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bluff
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intend (something) to move towards a certain goal“criticism directed at her superior”“direct your anger towards others, not towards yourself”
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point or cause to go (blows, weapons, or objects such as photographic equipment) towards
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types:
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aim, place, point, target
intend (something) to move towards a certain goal
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draw a bead on
aim with a gun
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hold
aim, point, or direct
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turn
direct at someone
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swing
hit or aim at with a sweeping arm movement
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charge, level, point
direct into a position for use
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level
aim at
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sight
take aim by looking through the sights of a gun (or other device)
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address
direct a question at someone
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home in, range in, zero in
direct onto a point or target, especially by automatic navigational aids
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type of:
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position
cause to be in an appropriate place, state, or relation
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command with authority
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be in charge of
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types:
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give, have, hold, make, throw
organize or be responsible for
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guide, steer
be a guiding or motivating force or drive
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head, lead
be in charge of
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operate, run
direct or control; projects, businesses, etc.
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administer
direct the taking of
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financier
conduct financial operations, often in an unethical manner
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chair, chairman
act or preside as chair, as of an academic department in a university
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captain
be the captain of a sports team
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spearhead
be the leader of
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take charge, take control, take hold
assume control
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work
operate in or through
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block
run on a block system
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warm up
run until the normal working temperature is reached
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lead, as in the performance of a composition
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guide the actors in (plays and films)
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types:
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stage direct
direct for the stage
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stage direct
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plan and direct (a complex undertaking)
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synonyms:
engineer, mastermind, orchestrate, organise, organize
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types:
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choreograph
plan and oversee the development and details of
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type of:
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plan
make plans for something
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choreograph
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specifically design a product, event, or activity for a certain public
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cause to go somewhere“He directed all his energies into his dissertation”
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synonyms:
send
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types:
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cast, contrive, project, throw
put or send forth
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turn
channel one's attention, interest, thought, or attention toward or away from something
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turn
to send or let go
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divert
send on a course or in a direction different from the planned or intended one
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route
send via a specific route
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refer
send or direct for treatment, information, or a decision
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airt, redirect
channel into a new direction
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blow
cause air to go in, on, or through
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subject, submit
refer for judgment or consideration
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route
divert in a specified direction
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recommit
send back to a committee
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sublimate
direct energy or urges into useful activities
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deviate
cause to turn away from a previous or expected course
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shoot
send forth suddenly, intensely, swiftly
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blast
apply a draft or strong wind to
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take up
turn one's interest to
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take somebody somewhere
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types:
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beacon
guide with a beacon
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hand
guide or conduct or usher somewhere
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lead astray, misdirect, misguide, mislead
lead someone in the wrong direction or give someone wrong directions
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show, usher
take (someone) to their seats, as in theaters or auditoriums
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marshal
lead ceremoniously, as in a procession
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give directions to; point somebody into a certain direction“I directed them towards the town hall”
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types:
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talk down
direct and control (the flight of an airplane during landing) via radio
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point the way
indicate the right path or direction
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talk down
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put an address on (an envelope)
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synonyms:
address
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types:
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misaddress, misdirect
put a wrong address on
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instrument
address a legal document to
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re-address
put a new address on (an envelope), as for forwarding
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type of:
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label
assign a label to; designate with a label
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misaddress, misdirect
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moving from west to east on the celestial sphere; or--for planets--around the sun in the same direction as the Earth
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Antonyms:
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retrograde
moving from east to west on the celestial sphere; or--for planets--around the sun in a direction opposite to that of the Earth
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retrograde
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(of a current) flowing in one direction only“direct current”
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Antonyms:
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alternating
(of a current) reversing direction
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alternating
Pronunciation
US
/dɪˈrɛkt/
UK
/daɪˈrɛkt/
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