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

The Lithuanian defense minister warned that the biggest line of defense NATO holds right now, apart from its actual military readiness, is showing a united front to dissuade Moscow from taking direct action against a NATO member and prompting what could become a global war. —Caitlin McFall, FOXNews.com, 21 Sep. 2025

Hours before Kimmel's suspension, FCC chair Brendan Carr advocated for the move on a podcast, encouraging ABC's parent company Disney to take direct action. —Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Sep. 2025

The British government banned Palestine Action — which describes itself as a direct action movement that uses disruptive methods — as a terrorist organization in July, putting it alongside Al Qaeda and ISIS. —Freddie Clayton, NBC news, 14 Sep. 2025

Following Thursday's gathering in Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that 26 countries expressed readiness to take direct action regarding potential postwar security guarantees for Ukraine. —Morgan Winsor, ABC News, 5 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1912, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for direct action

• benefaction
• counteraction
• interaction
• liquefaction
• putrefaction
• rarefaction
• satisfaction
• stupefaction
• tumefaction
• abstraction
• attraction
• compaction

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