director

noun

di·​rec·​tor də-ˈrek-tər 

dī-

: one who directs: such as

a

: the head of an organized group or administrative unit (such as a bureau or school)

director of religious education

a communications director

b

: one of a group of persons entrusted with the overall direction of a corporate enterprise

on the board of directors for a large corporation

c

: a person who supervises the production of a show (as for stage or screen) usually with responsibility for action, lighting, music, and rehearsals

a famous Hollywood director

d

music : conductor sense c

directorship

də-ˈrek-tər-ˌship 

dī-

noun

Synonyms of director

• manager
• executive
• administrator
• superintendent
• supervisor

Examples of director in a Sentence

The company will hire a new director of marketing.

She's the director of graduate studies at the university.

She's considered one of the best young directors in Hollywood.

Recent Examples on the Web

Askin is an Associate Professor of Organization and Management at UC Irvine’s Paul Merage School of Business and the faculty director of its Leadership Development Institute. —Kevin Kruse, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026

Ashley Llorens, corporate vice president and managing director at Microsoft Research, said robotics has historically lagged behind progress in language and vision AI. —Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 22 Jan. 2026

There are 20 branches of the Academy, each representing a different discipline within filmmaking, including actors, directors, writers, producers and editors. —Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 22 Jan. 2026

Dila Lee, a director of national accounts for sake importer Komé Collective, is a Turkish American educated in Japanese schools in Turkey whose influence runs deep through most of Chicago’s best sake lists. —Anna Lee Iijima, Chicago Tribune, 21 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

see direct entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing director

• casting director
• co-director
• director of photography
• director's chair
• director's cut
• funeral director
• managing director
• program director
• stage director
• sub-director

Rhymes for director

• bisector
• collector
• connector
• corrector
• defector
• deflector
• detector
• dissector
• effector
• ejector
• elector
• erector

Kids Definition

director

noun

di·​rec·​tor də-ˈrek-tər 

dī-

: one that directs: as

a

: one of a group of persons who direct the business of an organized body (as a corporation)

the board of directors

b

: one that guides the making of a show (as for stage or screen)

c

: conductor sense 2

directorial

də-ˌrek-ˈtōr-ē-əl, 

(ˌ)dī-, 

-ˈtȯr-

adjective

directorship

də-ˈrek-tər-ˌship 

dī-

noun

Medical Definition

director

noun

di·​rec·​tor də-ˈrek-tər, dī- 

: an instrument grooved to guide and limit the motion of a surgical knife

Legal Definition

director

noun

di·​rec·​tor

1

: the head of an organized group or administrative unit or agency

2

: any of a group of persons usually elected by shareholders and entrusted with the overall control of a corporation

Note: Directors owe a fiduciary duty to the shareholders in the exercise of their powers. Directors have the power to appoint and dismiss officers, declare and pay dividends on stock, initiate major corporate actions such as mergers or dissolution, and determine other matters affecting the corporation.

directorship noun