1
as in channeled
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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2
as in instructed
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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3
as in ordered
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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4
as in supervised
to look after and make decisions about the music teacher directs both the student orchestra and the marching band
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5
as in aimed
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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6
as in steered
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 directed The School Board directed Hepburn to cut 1,000 jobs for per for the next three years. —
Scott Travis, Sun Sentinel, 16 Apr. 2026 This was originally supposed to be a Harold Pinter script directed by Mike Nichols, which is quite the hypothetical to imagine, but director James Ivory and rewrites by the Booker and Oscar winner Ruth Prawer Jhabvala are a lateral move at absolute worst. —Literary Hub, 15 Apr. 2026 At the first Ramona Braver Angels workshop, the 40 participants were grouped into pairs and directed to ask their partners questions that were unrelated to politics. —Julie Gallant, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Apr. 2026 Norman Rockwell art-directed a Colorama, and TV’s Ozzie and Harriett appeared in several, according to the Eastman Museum. —Marcia Greenwood, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for directed
Scott Travis, Sun Sentinel, 16 Apr. 2026 This was originally supposed to be a Harold Pinter script directed by Mike Nichols, which is quite the hypothetical to imagine, but director James Ivory and rewrites by the Booker and Oscar winner Ruth Prawer Jhabvala are a lateral move at absolute worst. —Literary Hub, 15 Apr. 2026 At the first Ramona Braver Angels workshop, the 40 participants were grouped into pairs and directed to ask their partners questions that were unrelated to politics. —Julie Gallant, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Apr. 2026 Norman Rockwell art-directed a Colorama, and TV’s Ozzie and Harriett appeared in several, according to the Eastman Museum. —Marcia Greenwood, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for directed
Recent Examples of Synonyms for directed
Verb
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In Asheville, North Carolina, an environmental nonprofit channeled the opposition of newer residents into a campaign against the New Asheville Speedway.— Joshua Vadeboncoeur, The Conversation, 17 Apr. 2026
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Rather than rehearse soothing representations of bodies or objects, the artist channeled crises both personal and political into an interrogation of representation in and on its own terms.— Ara H. Merjian, ARTnews.com, 16 Apr. 2026
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Seconds later, the controller instructed the vehicle to stop, but the warning came too late as the aircraft touched down and continued down the runway.— Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 23 Apr. 2026
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The March 22 crash killed two pilots and sent 40 others to the hospital after an air traffic controller cleared a fire truck to cross a runway where the Air Canada plane was already instructed to land.— Doha Madani, NBC news, 23 Apr. 2026
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The feds last week ordered airlines to cut hundreds of flights per day at O’Hare between mid-May and late October this year, with flights allocated based on airlines’ schedules last summer.— Talia Soglin, Chicago Tribune, 20 Apr. 2026
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The unanimous procedural decision gives the companies a new day in federal court after a state jury ordered Chevron to pay upward of $740 million to clean up damage to the state’s coastline, one of multiple similar lawsuits.— Lindsay Whitehurst, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2026
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Along with overseeing Sacramento economic development, Jasso also supervised animal care services, code enforcement and the city’s cultural services.— Ishani Desai, Sacbee.com, 20 Apr. 2026
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Last week, North Korea said leader Kim Jong Un supervised missile tests from the country’s destroyer.— ABC News, ABC News, 18 Apr. 2026
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In a move that human rights activists say was aimed at avoiding accountability, Duterte, who was president at the time, announced a month later that the Philippines would leave the court.— CNN Money, CNN Money, 24 Apr. 2026
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As questions about transparency and cronyism swirl, Huntington Beach leaders are divided over the handling of a brand management and marketing contract aimed at revamping the city’s merchandising and licensing systems.— Claire Wang, Oc Register, 24 Apr. 2026
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Officials should also examine whether borrowers of color are being steered into certain mortgage types or face similar barriers in small business and farm loans.— Chase Jordan April 22, Charlotte Observer, 22 Apr. 2026
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Eixenberger steered Griffin to the moments inside the nightclub before the shooting and her description to Sacramento police at UC Davis Medical Center.— Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 22 Apr. 2026
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When Cuban refugees flooded Miami in 1980 after the Mariel boatlift, the county passed a controversial ordinance that largely banned the use of taxpayer money for programs conducted in languages besides English.— David Ovalle, NPR, 20 Apr. 2026
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Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed Tuesday that drones and robots had conducted more than 22,000 missions in the past three months alone.— Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 20 Apr. 2026
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The caller told dispatch her 20-year-old son was inside the home and threatening to harm himself.— Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 21 Apr. 2026
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Banks and Fahy are sensational, and both get to smoke even after they’ve been told not to because the smell might infest the chintz drapes in the breakfast room.— Libby Gelman-Waxner, New Yorker, 21 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Directed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/thesaurus/directed. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
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