direct action

noun

: action that seeks to achieve an end directly and by the most immediately effective means (such as a boycott or strike)

Examples of direct action in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In the 1960s, college students led sit-ins guided by the pillars of civil disobedience and nonviolent direct action to protest segregation. —Kiara Alfonseca, ABC News, 6 May 2024

The new due diligence requirements apply not only to the direct actions of the company, but also to their subsidiaries and supply chain. —Jon McGowan, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1912, in the meaning defined above

Legal Definition

direct action

noun

1

: an action in which the plaintiff sues a person's insurer without first obtaining a judgment against the insured or joining the insured

2

: a suit by a shareholder for an injury to himself or herself independent from any injury to the corporation

called also individual action

compare derivative action