di·rect·ly
də-ˈrek(t)-lē 
dī-,
in sense 2 especially də-ˈrek-lē,
or ˈdrek-lē
1
a
: in a direct manner
directly relevant
the road runs directly east and west
b
: in immediate physical contact
c
: in the manner of direct variation
2
a
: without delay : immediately
the second game followed directly after the first
b
: in a little while : shortly
we'll be leaving directly
di·rect·ly
də-ˈrek(t)-lē
dī-;
ˈdrek-lē
chiefly British
: immediately after : as soon as
directly I received it I rang up the shipping company—
F. W. Crofts
F. W. CroftsSynonyms
Examples of directly in a Sentence
Adverb
He refused to answer the question directly.
She said that she wanted to speak to you directly.
The package will be sent directly to your home.
The two accidents are directly related.
Thousands of people were directly affected by the disaster.
Antonyms are words that are directly opposite in meaning.
We parked directly behind the store.
He sat directly across from me at the dinner table.
Conjunction
I came directly I received your message.
Recent Examples on the WebArkansas Democrat-Gazette, arkansasonline.com, 17 Apr. 2024
Head directly to the Wonderland of Rocks area from the town of Joshua Tree where there are several interesting trails.
—Marla Jo Fisher, Orange County Register, 17 Apr. 2024
Standing directly behind him that night was his towering adviser, Andriy Yermak—a man who has been central in keeping the government running.
—TIME, 17 Apr. 2024
Serve immediately topped with your favorite toppings, or place waffles directly onto wire rack of oven set to 200 degrees to keep warm until serving.
—Laura McLively, The Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2024
Remarkably, these obligations were spelled out with much greater precision than NATO’s Article 5: imposing a no-fly zone, supplying weapons, or directly intervening with the guarantor state’s own military force.
—Samuel Charap, Foreign Affairs, 16 Apr. 2024
Israel was attacked for the first time in its history directly by Iran.
—Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 16 Apr. 2024
Through the initiative, an additional $5 million is being funneled through DonorsChoose, a nonprofit that allows people to donate directly to public school classrooms.
—Lina Ruiz, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Apr. 2024
Myasthenia Gravis is an autoimmune disease that directly affects communication between nerves and voluntary muscles, particularly those that impact the eyes, mouth, throat, and limbs.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 5 Apr. 2024
Adverb
Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium.
—Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, arkansasonline.com, 17 Apr. 2024
Head directly to the Wonderland of Rocks area from the town of Joshua Tree where there are several interesting trails.
—Marla Jo Fisher, Orange County Register, 17 Apr. 2024
Standing directly behind him that night was his towering adviser, Andriy Yermak—a man who has been central in keeping the government running.
—TIME, 17 Apr. 2024
Serve immediately topped with your favorite toppings, or place waffles directly onto wire rack of oven set to 200 degrees to keep warm until serving.
—Laura McLively, The Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2024
Remarkably, these obligations were spelled out with much greater precision than NATO’s Article 5: imposing a no-fly zone, supplying weapons, or directly intervening with the guarantor state’s own military force.
—Samuel Charap, Foreign Affairs, 16 Apr. 2024
Israel was attacked for the first time in its history directly by Iran.
—Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 16 Apr. 2024
Through the initiative, an additional $5 million is being funneled through DonorsChoose, a nonprofit that allows people to donate directly to public school classrooms.
—Lina Ruiz, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Apr. 2024
Myasthenia Gravis is an autoimmune disease that directly affects communication between nerves and voluntary muscles, particularly those that impact the eyes, mouth, throat, and limbs.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 5 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'directly.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near directly
Cite this Entry
“Directly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/directly. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
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