direction

A direction comes in the form of information that a person gives to help another person find a location or a way forward. This word is often used in the plural form.

• I stopped at a gas station to get directions.
• We got good directions and made it to our destination.
• You can get directions to a location by using your phone.
• You can ask someone for directions if you don’t know how to get to a location.
• Excuse me. I need directions to the museum.
• Can you give me directions?
• Are we going in the right direction?
• We need to stop and ask for directions.

The word "direction" indicates movement or location to the south, north, east, or west, or a combination of those four directions.

• We’re traveling in a northward direction.
• What direction should we be traveling in?
• They walked in the wrong direction. Instead of traveling north, they traveled south.

The word "direction" is also used to refer to instructions or methods for completing a task:

• You need to follow the directions.
• He’s not very good at following directions.
• We followed the directions for putting together the bike.
• Ikea gives its customers directions for putting together furniture purchased at the store.
• The supervisor gave directions to his employees.
• If you don’t follow your bosses’ directions, you might lose your job.

You can also use "direction" to refer to a person’s course in life:

• His life lacks direction.
• He needs more direction.
• Young people look for some sense of direction.
• Her life went in the wrong direction; now she’s miserable.

He stopped to ask someone for directions.

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October 15, 2019