DIRECTS Synonyms: 131 Similar and Opposite Words

directs

verb

present tense third-person singular of direct

as in conducts

to cause to move to a central point or along a restricted pathway the aqueduct directs the water into an artificial lake

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Relevance

as in instructs

to issue orders to (someone) by right of authority our tour guide directed us to wait in front of the building until she could rejoin us

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in orders

to request the doing of by virtue of one's authority the caretaker directed that all of the windows be closed before we left

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in supervises

to look after and make decisions about the music teacher directs both the student orchestra and the marching band

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as in aims

to point or turn (something) toward a target or goal we quickly directed our attention toward the noise coming from the rear

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in steers

to point out the way for (someone) especially from a position in front the guide directed the tour through the museum with commendable efficiency and expertise

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of directs Jones directs from the debut feature script by Welsh writer Lisa Baker. —

Alex Ritman, Variety, 11 Nov. 2025 Shannon Gibson, Stephanie Noonan and Sam Schalifer also serve as executive producers alongside Tyne Rafaeli, who also directs. —

Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 11 Nov. 2025 Tiffany Olson, who directs essential services at Crisis Connections and its 211 call center in Washington state, shared that even callers who rely heavily on their SNAP benefits sometimes need to use food banks as a supplement. —

Matthew W. Kreuter, CNN Money, 8 Nov. 2025 But here, stranded alongside Bradley Cooper (who has the same deer-in-headlights look), she’s completely lost as a Depression-era woman who goes mad after losing a child and directs her fury at a woman who had an illegitimate son with her husband years earlier. —

Tim Grierson, Vulture, 8 Nov. 2025 The guidance also directs visa officers to consider the health of family members, including children or older parents. —

Amanda Seitz, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025 Tiffany Olson, who directs essential services at Crisis Connections and its 211 call center in Washington state, shared that even callers who rely heavily on their SNAP benefits sometimes need to use food banks as a supplement. —

Matthew W. Kreuter, The Conversation, 7 Nov. 2025 The order directs the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection to police price gouging while FoodShare benefits are depleted. —

Jessie Opoien, jsonline.com, 4 Nov. 2025 The Republican's order directs state agencies to work with the federal contractor responsible for loading Electronic Benefit Transfer cards to ensure Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits are distributed weekly, his office said. —

Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Nov. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for directs

Verb

SpaceX conducts many of its own rocket launches, most using the Falcon 9 rocket, from California and Florida.

— Eric Lagatta, AZCentral.com, 5 Nov. 2025
Lebanon's National Council for Scientific Research, which conducts research and advises the government on policy, has documented almost 500 homes destroyed after the ceasefire in just three border villages and hundreds more houses damaged.

— Jane Arraf, NPR, 3 Nov. 2025