| direction |  |  | 
| n. (location) | 1. direction, way | a line leading to a place or point.; "he looked the other direction"; "didn't know the way home" | 
|  | ~ itinerary, route, path | an established line of travel or access. | 
|  | ~ bearing, heading, aim | the direction or path along which something moves or along which it lies. | 
|  | ~ trend, course | general line of orientation.; "the river takes a southern course"; "the northeastern trend of the coast" | 
|  | ~ east-west direction | in a direction parallel with lines of latitude. | 
|  | ~ north-south direction | in a direction parallel with lines of longitude. | 
|  | ~ qibla | the direction of the Kaaba toward which Muslims turn for their daily prayers. | 
|  | ~ trend, tendency | a general direction in which something tends to move.; "the shoreward tendency of the current"; "the trend of the stock market" | 
| n. (linkdef) | 2. direction | the spatial relation between something and the course along which it points or moves.; "he checked the direction and velocity of the wind" | 
|  | ~ spatial relation, position | the spatial property of a place where or way in which something is situated.; "the position of the hands on the clock"; "he specified the spatial relations of every piece of furniture on the stage" | 
|  | ~ frontage | the direction in which something (such as a building) faces. | 
|  | ~ orientation | position or alignment relative to points of the compass or other specific directions. | 
|  | ~ opposition | a direction opposite to another. | 
|  | ~ windward | the direction from which the wind is coming. | 
|  | ~ leeward | the direction in which the wind is blowing. | 
|  | ~ seaward | the direction toward the sea. | 
|  | ~ compass point, point | any of 32 horizontal directions indicated on the card of a compass.; "he checked the point on his compass" | 
|  | ~ compass north, magnetic north, north | the direction in which a compass needle points. | 
|  | ~ north | the direction corresponding to the northward cardinal compass point. | 
|  | ~ northeast | the direction corresponding to the northeastward compass point. | 
|  | ~ east | the direction corresponding to the eastward cardinal compass point. | 
|  | ~ southeast | the direction corresponding to the southeastward compass point. | 
|  | ~ south | the direction corresponding to the southward cardinal compass point. | 
|  | ~ southwest | the direction corresponding to the southwestward compass point. | 
|  | ~ west | the direction corresponding to the westward cardinal compass point. | 
|  | ~ northwest | the direction corresponding to the northwestward compass point. | 
| n. (cognition) | 3. direction | a general course along which something has a tendency to develop.; "I couldn't follow the direction of his thoughts"; "his ideals determined the direction of his career"; "they proposed a new direction for the firm" | 
|  | ~ inclination, tendency, disposition | an attitude of mind especially one that favors one alternative over others.; "he had an inclination to give up too easily"; "a tendency to be too strict" | 
|  | ~ tenor | a settled or prevailing or habitual course of a person's life.; "nothing disturbed the even tenor of her ways" | 
| n. (communication) | 4. counsel, counseling, counselling, direction, guidance | something that provides direction or advice as to a decision or course of action. | 
|  | ~ road map, guideline | a detailed plan or explanation to guide you in setting standards or determining a course of action.; "the president said he had a road map for normalizing relations with Vietnam" | 
|  | ~ subject matter, content, message, substance | what a communication that is about something is about. | 
|  | ~ career counseling | counseling on career opportunities. | 
|  | ~ cynosure | something that provides guidance (as Polaris guides mariners).; "let faith be your cynosure to walk by" | 
|  | ~ genetic counseling | guidance for prospective parents on the likelihood of genetic disorders in their future children. | 
|  | ~ marriage counseling | counseling on marital problems and disagreements. | 
|  | ~ confidential information, steer, tip, hint, wind, lead | an indication of potential opportunity.; "he got a tip on the stock market"; "a good lead for a job" | 
| n. (act) | 5. direction, management | the act of managing something.; "he was given overall management of the program"; "is the direction of the economy a function of government?" | 
|  | ~ social control | control exerted (actively or passively) by group action. | 
|  | ~ conducting | the direction of an orchestra or choir.; "he does not use a baton for conducting" | 
|  | ~ database management | creation and maintenance of a database. | 
|  | ~ finance | the management of money and credit and banking and investments. | 
|  | ~ homemaking | the management of a household. | 
|  | ~ misconduct | bad or dishonest management by persons supposed to act on another's behalf. | 
|  | ~ mismanagement, misdirection | management that is careless or inefficient.; "he accomplished little due to the mismanagement of his energies" | 
|  | ~ treatment, handling | the management of someone or something.; "the handling of prisoners"; "the treatment of water sewage"; "the right to equal treatment in the criminal justice system" | 
|  | ~ superintendence, supervising, supervision, oversight | management by overseeing the performance or operation of a person or group. | 
|  | ~ administration, disposal | a method of tending to or managing the affairs of a some group of people (especially the group's business affairs). | 
|  | ~ empowerment, authorisation, authorization | the act of conferring legality or sanction or formal warrant. | 
|  | ~ disenfranchisement | the act of withdrawing certification or terminating a franchise. | 
|  | ~ channelisation, channelization, canalisation, canalization | management through specified channels of communication. | 
|  | ~ steering, guidance | the act of guiding or showing the way. | 
| n. (communication) | 6. direction, instruction | a message describing how something is to be done.; "he gave directions faster than she could follow them" | 
|  | ~ subject matter, content, message, substance | what a communication that is about something is about. | 
|  | ~ rule | any one of a systematic body of regulations defining the way of life of members of a religious order.; "the rule of St. Dominic" | 
|  | ~ prescript, rule | prescribed guide for conduct or action. | 
|  | ~ rubric | directions for the conduct of Christian church services (often printed in red in a prayer book). | 
|  | ~ misdirection | incorrect directions or instructions. | 
|  | ~ name and address, destination, address | written directions for finding some location; written on letters or packages that are to be delivered to that location. | 
|  | ~ markup | detailed stylistic instructions for typesetting something that is to be printed; manual markup is usually written on the copy (e.g. underlining words that are to be set in italics). | 
|  | ~ prescription | directions prescribed beforehand; the action of prescribing authoritative rules or directions.; "I tried to follow her prescription for success" | 
|  | ~ recipe, formula | directions for making something. | 
|  | ~ rule | directions that define the way a game or sport is to be conducted.; "he knew the rules of chess" | 
|  | ~ stage direction | an instruction written as part of the script of a play. | 
|  | ~ style | editorial directions to be followed in spelling and punctuation and capitalization and typographical display. | 
|  | ~ system command | a computer user's instruction (not part of a program) that calls for action by the computer's executive program. | 
| n. (act) | 7. direction, guidance, steering | the act of setting and holding a course.; "a new council was installed under the direction of the king" | 
|  | ~ driving | the act of controlling and steering the movement of a vehicle or animal. | 
|  | ~ control | the activity of managing or exerting control over something.; "the control of the mob by the police was admirable" | 
|  | ~ aim | the action of directing something at an object.; "he took aim and fired" | 
|  | ~ navigation, pilotage, piloting | the guidance of ships or airplanes from place to place. | 
|  | ~ celestial guidance | a method of controlling the flight of a missile or spacecraft by reference to the positions of celestial bodies. | 
|  | ~ inertial guidance, inertial navigation | a method of controlling the flight of a missile by devices that respond to inertial forces. | 
|  | ~ command guidance | a method of controlling the flight of a missile by commands originating from the ground or from another missile. | 
|  | ~ terrestrial guidance | a method of controlling the flight of a missile by devices that respond to the strength and direction of the earth's gravitational field. | 
| n. (communication) | 8. charge, commission, direction | a formal statement of a command or injunction to do something.; "the judge's charge to the jury" | 
|  | ~ bid, bidding, command, dictation | an authoritative direction or instruction to do something. | 
|  | ~ misdirection | an incorrect charge to a jury given by a judge. | 
| n. (cognition) | 9. centering, direction, focal point, focus, focusing, focussing | the concentration of attention or energy on something.; "the focus of activity shifted to molecular biology"; "he had no direction in his life" | 
|  | ~ engrossment, immersion, absorption, concentration | complete attention; intense mental effort. | 
|  | ~ particularism | a focus on something particular. | 
| guidance |  |  | 
| n. (act) | 1. guidance, steering | the act of guiding or showing the way. | 
|  | ~ management, direction | the act of managing something.; "he was given overall management of the program"; "is the direction of the economy a function of government?" | 
| follow |  |  | 
| v. (motion) | 1. follow | to travel behind, go after, come after.; "The ducklings followed their mother around the pond"; "Please follow the guide through the museum" | 
|  | ~ go, locomote, move, travel | change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically.; "How fast does your new car go?"; "We travelled from Rome to Naples by bus"; "The policemen went from door to door looking for the suspect"; "The soldiers moved towards the city in an attempt to take it before night fell"; "news travelled fast" | 
|  | ~ lag, fall back, fall behind, dawdle | hang (back) or fall (behind) in movement, progress, development, etc.. | 
|  | ~ tailgate | follow at a dangerously close distance.; "it is dangerous to tailgate another vehicle" | 
|  | ~ shadow | follow, usually without the person's knowledge.; "The police are shadowing her" | 
|  | ~ carry | pursue a line of scent or be a bearer.; "the dog was taught to fetch and carry" | 
| v. (stative) | 2. follow, postdate | be later in time.; "Tuesday always follows Monday" | 
|  | ~ come after, follow | come after in time, as a result.; "A terrible tsunami followed the earthquake" | 
| v. (stative) | 3. fall out, follow | come as a logical consequence; follow logically.; "It follows that your assertion is false"; "the theorem falls out nicely" | 
|  | ~ ensue, result | issue or terminate (in a specified way, state, etc.); end.; "result in tragedy" | 
| v. (motion) | 4. follow, travel along | travel along a certain course.; "follow the road"; "follow the trail" | 
|  | ~ go, locomote, move, travel | change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically.; "How fast does your new car go?"; "We travelled from Rome to Naples by bus"; "The policemen went from door to door looking for the suspect"; "The soldiers moved towards the city in an attempt to take it before night fell"; "news travelled fast" | 
|  | ~ heel | follow at the heels of a person. | 
|  | ~ ascend | go along towards (a river's) source.; "The boat ascended the Delaware" | 
| v. (social) | 5. abide by, comply, follow | act in accordance with someone's rules, commands, or wishes.; "He complied with my instructions"; "You must comply or else!"; "Follow these simple rules"; "abide by the rules" | 
|  | ~ stick with, stick to, follow | keep to.; "Stick to your principles"; "stick to the diet" | 
|  | ~ oblige, accommodate | provide a service or favor for someone.; "We had to oblige him" | 
|  | ~ adopt, espouse, follow | choose and follow; as of theories, ideas, policies, strategies or plans.; "She followed the feminist movement"; "The candidate espouses Republican ideals" | 
|  | ~ toe the line | do what is expected. | 
|  | ~ obey | be obedient to. | 
|  | ~ conform to | observe.; "conform to the rules" | 
| v. (stative) | 6. come after, follow | come after in time, as a result.; "A terrible tsunami followed the earthquake" | 
|  | ~ ensue, result | issue or terminate (in a specified way, state, etc.); end.; "result in tragedy" | 
|  | ~ postdate, follow | be later in time.; "Tuesday always follows Monday" | 
|  | ~ follow | be next.; "Mary plays best, with John and Sue following" | 
| v. (change) | 7. conform to, follow | behave in accordance or in agreement with.; "Follow a pattern"; "Follow my example" | 
|  | ~ go by | be or act in accordance with.; "Go by this rule and you'll be safe" | 
|  | ~ imitate, simulate, copy | reproduce someone's behavior or looks.; "The mime imitated the passers-by"; "Children often copy their parents or older siblings" | 
| v. (stative) | 8. follow | be next.; "Mary plays best, with John and Sue following" | 
|  | ~ be | occupy a certain position or area; be somewhere.; "Where is my umbrella?"; "The toolshed is in the back"; "What is behind this behavior?" | 
|  | ~ come after, follow | come after in time, as a result.; "A terrible tsunami followed the earthquake" | 
| v. (possession) | 9. adopt, espouse, follow | choose and follow; as of theories, ideas, policies, strategies or plans.; "She followed the feminist movement"; "The candidate espouses Republican ideals" | 
|  | ~ choose, pick out, select, take | pick out, select, or choose from a number of alternatives.; "Take any one of these cards"; "Choose a good husband for your daughter"; "She selected a pair of shoes from among the dozen the salesgirl had shown her" | 
|  | ~ abide by, comply, follow | act in accordance with someone's rules, commands, or wishes.; "He complied with my instructions"; "You must comply or else!"; "Follow these simple rules"; "abide by the rules" | 
|  | ~ adhere, stick | be a devoted follower or supporter.; "The residents of this village adhered to Catholicism"; "She sticks to her principles" | 
| v. (stative) | 10. follow | to bring something about at a later time than.; "She followed dinner with a brandy"; "He followed his lecture with a question and answer period" | 
|  | ~ follow | be next.; "Mary plays best, with John and Sue following" | 
| v. (creation) | 11. follow, take after | imitate in behavior; take as a model.; "Teenagers follow their friends in everything" | 
|  | ~ imitate, simulate, copy | reproduce someone's behavior or looks.; "The mime imitated the passers-by"; "Children often copy their parents or older siblings" | 
| v. (cognition) | 12. follow, trace | follow, discover, or ascertain the course of development of something.; "We must follow closely the economic development is Cuba"; "trace the student's progress" | 
|  | ~ keep abreast, keep up, follow | keep informed.; "He kept up on his country's foreign policies" | 
|  | ~ analyse, analyze, examine, study, canvass, canvas | consider in detail and subject to an analysis in order to discover essential features or meaning.; "analyze a sonnet by Shakespeare"; "analyze the evidence in a criminal trial"; "analyze your real motives" | 
|  | ~ keep an eye on, watch over, watch, observe, follow | follow with the eyes or the mind.; "Keep an eye on the baby, please!"; "The world is watching Sarajevo"; "She followed the men with the binoculars" | 
| v. (social) | 13. follow, keep an eye on, observe, watch, watch over | follow with the eyes or the mind.; "Keep an eye on the baby, please!"; "The world is watching Sarajevo"; "She followed the men with the binoculars" | 
|  | ~ check, check into, check out, check over, check up on, suss out, look into, go over | examine so as to determine accuracy, quality, or condition.; "check the brakes"; "Check out the engine" | 
|  | ~ trace, follow | follow, discover, or ascertain the course of development of something.; "We must follow closely the economic development is Cuba"; "trace the student's progress" | 
|  | ~ keep tabs on | keep a record on or watch attentively.; "The government keeps tabs on the dissidents" | 
|  | ~ guard | to keep watch over.; "there would be men guarding the horses" | 
|  | ~ invigilate, proctor | watch over (students taking an exam, to prevent cheating). | 
| v. (social) | 14. come after, follow, succeed | be the successor (of).; "Carter followed Ford"; "Will Charles succeed to the throne?" | 
|  | ~ accede, enter | take on duties or office.; "accede to the throne" | 
|  | ~ supercede, supersede, supervene upon, supplant, replace | take the place or move into the position of.; "Smith replaced Miller as CEO after Miller left"; "the computer has supplanted the slide rule"; "Mary replaced Susan as the team's captain and the highest-ranked player in the school" | 
| v. (creation) | 15. accompany, follow, play along | perform an accompaniment to.; "The orchestra could barely follow the frequent pitch changes of the soprano" | 
|  | ~ music | musical activity (singing or whistling etc.).; "his music was his central interest" | 
|  | ~ play | play on an instrument.; "The band played all night long" | 
| v. (change) | 16. follow, keep abreast, keep up | keep informed.; "He kept up on his country's foreign policies" | 
|  | ~ trace, follow | follow, discover, or ascertain the course of development of something.; "We must follow closely the economic development is Cuba"; "trace the student's progress" | 
| v. (stative) | 17. come, follow | to be the product or result.; "Melons come from a vine"; "Understanding comes from experience" | 
|  | ~ arise, originate, spring up, uprise, develop, grow, rise | come into existence; take on form or shape.; "A new religious movement originated in that country"; "a love that sprang up from friendship"; "the idea for the book grew out of a short story"; "An interesting phenomenon uprose" | 
|  | ~ come | exist or occur in a certain point in a series.; "Next came the student from France" | 
| v. (social) | 18. follow | accept and follow the leadership or command or guidance of.; "Let's follow our great helmsman!"; "She followed a guru for years" | 
|  | ~ behave, act, do | behave in a certain manner; show a certain behavior; conduct or comport oneself.; "You should act like an adult"; "Don't behave like a fool"; "What makes her do this way?"; "The dog acts ferocious, but he is really afraid of people" | 
| v. (social) | 19. follow | adhere to or practice.; "These people still follow the laws of their ancient religion" | 
|  | ~ practice, use, apply | avail oneself to.; "apply a principle"; "practice a religion"; "use care when going down the stairs"; "use your common sense"; "practice non-violent resistance" | 
| v. (social) | 20. be, follow | work in a specific place, with a specific subject, or in a specific function.; "He is a herpetologist"; "She is our resident philosopher" | 
|  | ~ vet | work as a veterinarian.; "She vetted for the farms in the area for many years" | 
|  | ~ cox | act as the coxswain, in a boat race. | 
| v. (perception) | 21. follow, surveil, survey | keep under surveillance.; "The police had been following him for weeks but they could not prove his involvement in the bombing" | 
|  | ~ pursue, follow | follow in or as if in pursuit.; "The police car pursued the suspected attacker"; "Her bad deed followed her and haunted her dreams all her life" | 
| v. (motion) | 22. follow, pursue | follow in or as if in pursuit.; "The police car pursued the suspected attacker"; "Her bad deed followed her and haunted her dreams all her life" | 
|  | ~ go, locomote, move, travel | change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically.; "How fast does your new car go?"; "We travelled from Rome to Naples by bus"; "The policemen went from door to door looking for the suspect"; "The soldiers moved towards the city in an attempt to take it before night fell"; "news travelled fast" | 
|  | ~ stalk | go through (an area) in search of prey.; "stalk the woods for deer" | 
|  | ~ chase, dog, give chase, go after, tail, chase after, trail, track, tag | go after with the intent to catch.; "The policeman chased the mugger down the alley"; "the dog chased the rabbit" | 
|  | ~ haunt, stalk | follow stealthily or recur constantly and spontaneously to.; "her ex-boyfriend stalked her"; "the ghost of her mother haunted her" | 
|  | ~ surveil, survey, follow | keep under surveillance.; "The police had been following him for weeks but they could not prove his involvement in the bombing" | 
| v. (cognition) | 23. follow | grasp the meaning.; "Can you follow her argument?"; "When he lectures, I cannot follow" | 
|  | ~ understand | know and comprehend the nature or meaning of.; "She did not understand her husband"; "I understand what she means" | 
| v. (change) | 24. follow, stick to, stick with | keep to.; "Stick to your principles"; "stick to the diet" | 
|  | ~ hang in, persevere, hang on, persist, hold on | be persistent, refuse to stop.; "he persisted to call me every night"; "The child persisted and kept asking questions" | 
|  | ~ abide by, comply, follow | act in accordance with someone's rules, commands, or wishes.; "He complied with my instructions"; "You must comply or else!"; "Follow these simple rules"; "abide by the rules" | 
| obey |  |  | 
| v. (social) | 1. obey | be obedient to. | 
|  | ~ adapt, conform, adjust | adapt or conform oneself to new or different conditions.; "We must adjust to the bad economic situation" | 
|  | ~ abide by, comply, follow | act in accordance with someone's rules, commands, or wishes.; "He complied with my instructions"; "You must comply or else!"; "Follow these simple rules"; "abide by the rules" | 
|  | ~ take orders | receive and be expected to follow directions or commands.; "I don't take orders from you!" | 
|  | ~ heed, listen, mind | pay close attention to; give heed to.; "Heed the advice of the old men" | 
Recent comments
1 day 20 hours ago
1 week 11 hours ago
1 week 20 hours ago
5 weeks 4 days ago
21 weeks 15 hours ago
27 weeks 4 days ago
40 weeks 6 days ago
43 weeks 6 days ago
45 weeks 5 days ago
1 year 6 days ago