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

Responsible for maintaining the soft, steady music of our autonomic nervous system, the hypothalamus, through a mix of direct action or hormonal release, governs everything from body temperature and blood pressure to hunger and thirst, digestion, sleep-wake cycles, and mood. —Tom Zeller Jr. july 30, Literary Hub, 30 July 2025

In the middle of uncertainty, Smith prioritizes structured feedback loops, direct action and unfiltered communication with both clients and staff. —Victoria Chynoweth, Rolling Stone, 17 June 2025

Though Lee has said this legislation is necessary to help President Donald Trump enforce his immigration agenda, Trump's administration has not directed states to take any direct action on immigration. —Melissa Brown, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025

Witnesses say police were circling in their vehicles but not taking direct action. —Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 5 July 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