- direct
- direct vb1 Direct, address, devote, apply are comparable when used reflexively with the meaning to turn or bend one's attention, energies, or abilities to something or when meaning to turn, bend, or point (as one's attention, thoughts, or efforts) to a certain object or objective.Between direct and address there is often no perceptible difference; thus, one directs or addresses oneself to a task, or to his work, or to the study of a problem; one directs or addresses one's attention to a certain thing, his remarks to a given person, his book to a special type of reader; also, one directs or addresses a letter when he writes on the envelope the name of the recipient and the place of delivery. There is, however, a tendency to prefer direct when an intent or aim is implied oT indicated and address when an appeal to the mind or feelings is expressed or understood{
the Democratic members directed their energies to the defeat of the measure
}{a demagogue addresses his arguments to the least intelligent in his audience
}{sat by the breakfast table . . . her eyes listlessly directed towards the open door— Hardy
}{a story addressed ... to his sense of honor and humanity— Lee
}{asked myself to what purpose I should direct my energies— Cohen
}Devote often adds to direct and address the implication of persistence; thus, one devotes himself to a task, a work, or the study of a problem when he resolutely continues towards its completion; one directs his attention to a problem but devotes his energies to its solution. Quite as often, and in distinction from the other words, devote implies dedication or setting apart for a certain end or use{devote himself to the public good
}{devote his leisure to charity
}{small farms devoted to fruit and berry raising— Anderson
}Apply distinctively suggests concentration. One applies himself to a task or to his work when he gives his entire attention to what he has directed or addressed himself. In idiomatic use apply oneself and apply one's mind often equal "concentrate" or "give one's entire attention"{he learned early to apply himself
}{an anxious person cannot apply his mind to the task in hand
}{he cannot apply himself to study— Garnett
}Sometimes apply comes very close to direct and address with, however, the additional implication of employment{that they may sample several kinds of knowledge . . . and have a chance to determine wisely in what direction their own individual mental powers can be best applied— Eliot
}2 Direct, aim, point, level, train, lay are comparable when they mean to turn something toward its appointed or intended mark or goal.One directs something or someone to its or his destination or objective when he heads it or him toward the proper course or guides it or him along that course{directed his eyes to the door
}{idirect a stranger to the railroad station
}{direct a searchlight to the opposite shore
}{'tis heav'n each passion sends, and diff'rent men directs to diff'rent ends— Pope
}One aims a weapon or something used as a weapon when he by careful calculation or estimation of counterinfluences turns it toward the exact spot or the object he designs to hit{aim a pistol at a burglar
}{aim a blow at a man's stomach
}{a law aimed at tax evaders
}One points something at or less often to or toward a person or thing when he turns its point or tip toward a particular spot (as in indicating or directing){point your finger at your choice
}{point a sword at an opponent's breast
}{[point a boat to shore
}One levels a weapon (as a spear, a lance, or a rifle) or something which serves as a weapon at or against something when he brings it to the position or line (often a horizontal position or line) where it will do its most deadly or most effective work{level a spear at a foe
}{level a rifle at a deer
}{level a charge against the mine owners
}{like an arrow shot from a well-experi- enced archer hits the mark his eye doth level at— Shak.
}One trains or lays a firearm (as a cannon) when he sets it in a position pointed directly at its mark{kept their guns trained on the enemy cruiser
}One trains something (as a telescope or a camera) but rarely if ever lays other things than firearms{the distinguished visitors could go nowhere without finding a battery of cameras trained upon them
}{lay a gun for a shot
}Analogous words: steer, pilot, *guide, lead, engineerAntonyms: misdirect3 manage, control, *conduct4 *command, order, bid, enjoin, instruct, chargeAnalogous words: *prescribe, assign, definedirect adj Direct, immediate, as applied to relations and as meaning marked by the absence of interruption (as between the cause and the effect, the source and the issue, or the beginning and the end), are frequently used with little distinction, although their connotations may be quite dissimilar.Direct suggests unbroken connection between one and the other or a straight bearing of one upon the other, while immediate suggests the absence of any intervening medium or influence; thus, direct knowledge is knowledge gained firsthand, but immediate knowledge is that attained by intuition or insight rather than through inference from facts or premises; direct contact stresses the bearing of one thing upon the other, but immediate contact implies the coherence or cohesion of one and the other; direct descent implies descent in a straight line from an ancestor; one's immediate family is composed only of those who are the nearest in relation, or one's father, mother, brothers, and sisters; a direct cause leads straight to its effect, but an immediate cause (which may or may not be the direct cause) is the one which serves as the last link in a chain of causes and brings about a result.
New Dictionary of Synonyms. 2014.
