1
as in instruction
a statement of what to do that must be obeyed by those concerned
we were given very specific directions for the first part of the exam
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in management
the act or activity of looking after and making decisions about something
working under the close direction of the engineering supervisor
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in compass
a guiding or motivating purpose or principle
a life that seemed to lack any direction other than the mindless pursuit of empty pleasures
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in trend
a prevailing or general movement or inclination
some older people worry about the overall direction that political discourse has taken lately
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of direction
The film went on to garner Oscar nominations for Knightley’s performance, Greenwood and Katie Spencer’s art direction and set decoration, Jacqueline Durran’s costume design and Dario Marianelli’s score.
—
Abigail Lee, Variety, 18 Apr. 2025
The orchestra has no music director to push it in this or that direction.
—Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2025
Double-check travel plans and directions.
—Valerie Mesa, People.com, 15 Mar. 2025
Luckily for the Jayhawks, the offense is trending in the right direction.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 15 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for direction
Abigail Lee, Variety, 18 Apr. 2025
The orchestra has no music director to push it in this or that direction.
—Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2025
Double-check travel plans and directions.
—Valerie Mesa, People.com, 15 Mar. 2025
Luckily for the Jayhawks, the offense is trending in the right direction.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 15 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for direction
Recent Examples of Synonyms for direction
Noun
-
Or, to extrapolate Anderson’s hacks to this example, creating a competition with a sales incentive would be significantly more impactful than barking instructions.—
Michelle Stansbury,
Forbes.com,
19 Apr. 2025
-
When the Trump administration tried to quash those instructions at the Fourth Circuit court of appeals, three federal judges said Trump must comply.—
Brian Bennett,
Time,
18 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
To avoid these pitfalls, companies need to treat office redesign as a change management project—not just a facilities project.—
Ryan Anderson,
Forbes.com,
15 Apr. 2025
-
Trump and Zuckerberg have a complicated history, with the president being critical of the Silicon Valley CEO's management of online censorship, which culminated in a ban from Meta platforms after the January 6 riots.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The Library of Virginia's nature backpacks include a free parking pass for most Virginia State Parks, pocket guides, a bug field observation container, a magnifying lens, a dip net, a compass, and binoculars.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
17 Apr. 2025
-
The business's mission is its compass, not to be distracted by too much attention to competitors.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
16 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
This reflects an industry trend moving beyond general-purpose models toward variants optimized for specific high-value tasks often driven by enterprise demand.—
Janakiram MSV,
Forbes.com,
15 Apr. 2025
-
Businesses need to pivot instantly when market conditions change, ad costs fluctuate, or new creative trends emerge.—
Tyler Shepherd,
USA Today,
14 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The judge presiding over the case, Beverly Cannone, even issued an order barring supporters of either Read or O'Keefe from demonstrating within 200 feet of the courthouse.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2025
-
Following Trump's order, Target announced that the company would end certain DEI programs.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The musical will be directed by Christopher Wheeldon (MJ: The Musical), with music supervision by Tom Kitt (Next to Normal).—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
23 Apr. 2025
-
Christopher Wheeldon is directing and choreographing, and music supervision, arrangements, and orchestrations are in the two-time Tony-winning hands of Tom Kitt.—
Jazz Monroe,
Pitchfork,
23 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
This rising tide has been spurred in large part by billionaires, particularly Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and, to a lesser extent, Richard Branson.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
18 Apr. 2025
-
Arroyo memorializes ordinary buildings at risk of being swept up in the tide of gentrification in Miami through his paintings, while Simmons creates with concrete, fabric, acrylic, found objects and construction debris to form architectural sculptures and mixed media works.—
Patrick Connolly,
The Orlando Sentinel,
18 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Rubio’s edict also could affect SDSU freshman center Thokbor Majak, who was born in South Sudan before attending school in Uganda and Senegal.—
Mark Zeigler,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Apr. 2025
-
Unlike previous commissions and councils, HESA was not the result of a presidential charge or a Congressional edict.—
David Rosowsky,
Forbes.com,
31 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Direction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/direction. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share