directly

adverb di·rect·ly \ də-ˈrek(t)-lē , dī- , in sense 2 especially də-ˈrek-lē or ˈdrek-lē \

Updated on: 14 Apr 2018

Definition of directly

1 a : in a direct manner

directly relevant

the road runs directly east and west

b : in immediate physical contact

c : in the manner of direct variation

2 a : without delay : immediately

the second game followed directly after the first

b : in a little while : shortly

we'll be leaving directly

See directly defined for English-language learners

See directly defined for kids

Examples of directly in a Sentence

He refused to answer the question directly.
She said that she wanted to speak to you directly.
The package will be sent directly to your home.
The two accidents are directly related.
Thousands of people were directly affected by the disaster.
Antonyms are words that are directly opposite in meaning.
We parked directly behind the store.
He sat directly across from me at the dinner table.

Recent Examples of directly from the Web

Sessions did not address any of those matters directly in the speech Wednesday.

— matt zapotosky, Washington Post, "‘A new sheriff in town’: As Trump rages about Justice Dept., Sessions praises the president in immigration speech," 11 Apr. 2018
Cordray agreed with Kucinich, although Cordray didn't directly address how to tackle the Brent Spence project.

— jason williams, Cincinnati.com, "PX column: Brent Spence Bridge? 'I don't know about your bridge,' Ohio gov candidate says," 11 Apr. 2018
Ingraham did not directly address the advertiser boycott her show is facing.

— jeremy barr, The Hollywood Reporter, "Laura Ingraham Makes No Apologies In First Show Back From Break," 10 Apr. 2018
Zuckerberg said his company’s goal was to not engage in political speech, but the CEO didn’t directly address whether or not Facebook is a neutral public forum.

— Bloomberg.com, "Zuckerberg Testifies Before Senate Panel," 10 Apr. 2018
Cline’s Ready Player One has similar flaws, and the film version, co-scripted by Cline and Zak Penn, addressed many of them directly.

— tasha robinson, The Verge, "What the Armada adaptation can learn from Ready Player One’s successes," 9 Apr. 2018
Read more: Ford spokeswoman Elizabeth Weigandt did not directly address the latest crash tests.

— phoebe wall howard, Detroit Free Press, "2018 Ford Escape fails passenger safety crash test," 4 Apr. 2018
The 2015 McDonald's statement announcing the news didn't directly address whether employees' pay would remain $1 above local requirements as those wage floors continued to rise.

— josh eidelson, chicagotribune.com, "Workers say McDonald's isn't keeping up with rising local wages," 2 Apr. 2018
South Koreans joke that the hits of Red Velvet and Ms Lee will be directly addressed to Mr Kim, if played in Pyongyang.

— The Economist, "Can K-pop bring the two Koreas closer together?," 31 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'directly.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of directly

15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

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directly Synonyms

directly

conjunction di·rect·ly \ də-ˈrek(t)-lē , dī- ; ˈdrek-lē \

Definition of directly

chiefly British

: immediately after : as soon as

directly I received it I rang up the shipping company
—F. W. Crofts

See directly defined for English-language learners

Examples of directly in a Sentence

I came directly I received your message.

First Known Use of directly

1795

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

DIRECTLY Defined for English Language Learners

directly

adverb

Definition of directly for English Language Learners

: in a direct way
: in a straight or direct line from a particular position
: without delay

directly

conjunction

Definition of directly for English Language Learners

: immediately after : as soon as

DIRECTLY Defined for Kids

directly

adverb di·rect·ly \ də-ˈrekt-lē , dī- \

Definition of directly for Students

1 : in a straight course or line

She sits directly across from me.

The road runs directly north.

2 : straight to or from a source : without interference

I spoke directly to the principal.

3 : immediately 2

She began directly to work.

Learn More about directly

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for directly Spanish Central: Translation of directly Nglish: Translation of directly for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of directly for Arabic speakers

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directly

Definition of directly

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DIRECTLY Defined for English Language Learners

directly

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directly

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