n. something that is read; "the article was a very good read"

n. the act of obtaining data from peripheral devices in a computer

v. to hear and understand; "I read you loud and clear!"

v. interpret something that is written or printed; "read the advertisement"; "Have you read Salman Rushdie?"

v. interpret the significance of, as of palms, tea leaves, intestines, the sky; also of human behavior; "She read the sky and predicted rain"; "I can't read his strange behavior"; "The fortune teller read his fate in the crystal ball"

v. be in charge of

v. communicate (with) in writing; "Write her soon, please!"

v. write or name the letters that comprise the conventionally accepted form of (a word or part of a word); "He spelled the word wrong in this letter"

v. have (one's written work) issued for publication; "How many books did Georges Simenon write?"; "She published 25 books during her long career"

v. interpret something in a certain way; convey a particular meaning or impression; "I read this address as a satire"; "How should I take this message?"; "You can't take credit for this!"

v. have or contain a certain wording or form; "The passage reads as follows"; "What does the law say?"

v. command with authority; "He directed the children to do their homework"

v. put an address on (an envelope)

v. guide the actors in (plays and films)

v. cause to go somewhere; "The explosion sent the car flying in the air"; "She sent her children to camp"; "He directed all his energies into his dissertation"

v. communicate or express by writing; "Please write to me every week"

v. cause to be directed or transmitted to another place; "send me your latest results"; "I'll mail you the paper when it's written"

v. mark or trace on a surface; "The artist wrote Chinese characters on a big piece of white paper"; "Russian is written with the Cyrillic alphabet"

v. write music; "Beethoven composed nine symphonies"

v. make sense of a language; "She understands French"; "Can you read Greek?"

v. be a student of a certain subject; "She is reading for the bar exam"

v. look at, interpret, and say out loud something that is written or printed; "The King will read the proclamation at noon"

v. indicate a certain reading; of gauges and instruments; "The thermometer showed thirteen degrees below zero"; "The gauge read `empty'"

v. produce a literary work; "She composed a poem"; "He wrote four novels"

v. specifically design a product, event, or activity for a certain public

v. give directions to; point somebody into a certain direction; "I directed them towards the town hall"

v. lead musicians in the performance of; "Bernstein conducted Mahler like no other conductor"; "she cannot conduct modern pieces"

v. plan and direct (a complex undertaking); "he masterminded the robbery"

v. intend (something) to move towards a certain goal; "He aimed his fists towards his opponent's face"; "criticism directed at her superior"; "direct your anger towards others, not towards yourself"

v. aim or direct at; as of blows, weapons, or objects such as photographic equipment; "Please don't aim at your little brother!"; "He trained his gun on the burglar"; "Don't train your camera on the women"; "Take a swipe at one's opponent"

v. take somebody somewhere; "We lead him to our chief"; "can you take me to the main entrance?"; "He conducted us to the palace"

adv. without deviation; "the path leads directly to the lake"; "went direct to the office"

adj. located farther aft

adj. having been read; often used in combination: "a widely read newspaper"

adj. direct in spatial dimensions; proceeding without deviation or interruption; straight and short; "a direct route"; "a direct flight"; "a direct hit"

adj. extended senses; direct in means or manner or behavior or language or action; "a direct question"; "a direct response"; "a direct approach"

adj. having no intervening persons, agents, conditions; "in direct sunlight"; "in direct contact with the voters"; "direct exposure to the disease"; "a direct link"; "the direct cause of the accident"; "direct vote"

adj. not devious

adj. in a straight unbroken line of descent from parent to child; "lineal ancestors"; "lineal heirs"; "a direct descendant of the king"; "direct heredity"

adj. (of e.g. information) not secondhand or by way of something intermediary; "his work is based on only original, not secondary, sources"

v. examine or consider with attention and in detail; "Please peruse this report at your leisure"

v. focus one's attention on

v. be the captain of a sports team

v. act or preside as chair, as of an academic department in a university; "She chaired the department for many years"

v. exercise authority over; as of nations; "Who is governing the country now?"

v. direct or strongly influence the behavior of; "His belief in God governs his conduct"

v. exercise authoritative control or power over; "control the budget"; "Command the military forces"

v. act out; represent or perform as if in a play; "She reenacted what had happened earlier that day"

v. put to use; "exert one's power or influence"

v. watch and direct; "Who is overseeing this project?"

v. control (others or oneself) or influence skillfully, usually to one's advantage; "She manipulates her boss"; "She is a very controlling mother and doesn't let her children grow up"; "The teacher knew how to keep the class in line"; "she keeps in line"

v. organize into or form a syndicate

v. join or combine; "We merged our resources"

v. command solemnly

v. claim as due or just; "The bank demanded payment of the loan"

v. ask someone in a friendly way to do something

v. impose a task upon, assign a responsibility to; "He charged her with cleaning up all the files over the weekend"

v. cause to be firmly attached; "fasten the lock onto the door"; "she fixed her gaze on the man"

v. shape or influence; give direction to; "experience often determines ability"; "mold public opinion"

v. direct one's attention on something; "Please focus on your studies and not on your hobbies"

v. guide or pass over something; "He ran his eyes over her body"; "She ran her fingers along the carved figurine"; "He drew her hair through his fingers"

v. write out from speech, notes, etc.; "Transcribe the oral history of this tribe"

v. make a phonetic transcription of; "The anthropologist transcribed the sentences of the native informant"

v. rewrite in a different script; "The Sanskrit text had to be transliterated"

v. indicate a certain reading; of gauges and instruments; "The thermometer showed thirteen degrees below zero"; "The gauge read `empty'"

v. strive to equal or match, especially by imitating; "He is emulating the skating skills of his older sister"

v. cause to come to know personally; "permit me to acquaint you with my son"; "introduce the new neighbors to the community"

v. inform (somebody) of something; "I advised him that the rent was due"

v. write an orchestra score for

v. rewrite or arrange a piece of music for an instrument or medium other than that originally intended

v. make out of components (often in an improvising manner); "She fashioned a tent out of a sheet and a few sticks"

v. make something, usually for a specific function; "She molded the rice balls carefully"; "Form cylinders from the dough"; "shape a figure"; "Work the metal into a sword"

v. shape or influence; give direction to; "experience often determines ability"; "mold public opinion"

v. write, engrave, or print as a lasting record

v. produce a literary work; "She composed a poem"; "He wrote four novels"

v. read with difficulty; "Can you decipher this letter?"; "The archeologist traced the hieroglyphs"

v. recite in elocution

v. recognize with a gesture prescribed by a military regulation; assume a prescribed position; "When the officers show up, the soldiers have to salute"

v. cause to come to know personally; "permit me to acquaint you with my son"; "introduce the new neighbors to the community"

v. deliver (a speech, oration, or idea); "The commencement speaker presented a forceful speech that impressed the students"

v. communicate or express by writing; "Please write to me every week"

v. write out from speech, notes, etc.; "Transcribe the oral history of this tribe"

v. make a phonetic transcription of; "The anthropologist transcribed the sentences of the native informant"

v. rewrite in a different script; "The Sanskrit text had to be transliterated"

v. bestow; "give homage"; "render thanks"

v. write, engrave, or print as a lasting record

v. write music; "Beethoven composed nine symphonies"

v. make up plans or basic details for; "frame a policy"

v. come up with (an idea, plan, explanation, theory, or principle) after a mental effort; "excogitate a way to measure the speed of light"

v. direct one's attention on something; "Please focus on your studies and not on your hobbies"

v. have an ambitious plan or a lofty goal

v. plan and direct (a complex undertaking); "he masterminded the robbery"

v. present for consideration

v. draw up an outline or sketch for something; "draft a speech"

v. teach and supervise (someone); act as a trainer or coach (to), as in sports; "He is training our Olympic team"; "She is coaching the crew"

v. teach by repetition

v. assist (somebody acting or reciting) by suggesting the next words of something forgotten or imperfectly learned

v. make understand; "Can you enlighten me--I don't understand this proposal"

v. act as a master of ceremonies

v. assign under a mandate; of nations

v. fill or load to capacity; "charge the wagon with hay"

v. assign authority to

v. blame for, make a claim of wrongdoing or misbehavior against; "he charged thee director with indifference"

v. discuss the terms of an arrangement; "They negotiated the sale of the house"

v. direct one's attention on something; "Please focus on your studies and not on your hobbies"

v. have an ambitious plan or a lofty goal

v. specifically design a product, event, or activity for a certain public

v. devise or invent; "He thought up a plan to get rich quickly"; "no-one had ever thought of such a clever piece of software"

v. design something for a specific role or purpose or effect; "This room is not designed for work"

v. plan in detail; "Bush is charting a course to destroy Saddam Hussein"

v. put into a proper or systematic order; "arrange the books on the shelves in chronological order"

v. have the idea for; "He conceived of a robot that would help paralyzed patients"; "This library was well conceived"

v. make or work out a plan for; devise; "They contrived to murder their boss"; "design a new sales strategy"; "plan an attack"

v. bring order and organization to; "Can you help me organize my files?"

v. dedicate; "give thought to"; "give priority to"; "pay attention to"

v. move while holding up or supporting; "Bear gifts"; "bear a heavy load"; "bear news"; "bearing orders"

v. turn from a straight course , fixed direction, or line of interest

v. change direction; "The road bends"

v. move around an axis or a center; "The wheels are turning"

v. change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense; "Turn towards me"; "The mugger turned and fled before I could see his face"; "She turned from herself and learned to listen to others' needs"

v. cause to move around or rotate; "turn a key"; "turn your palm this way"

v. cause to move around a center so as to show another side of; "turn a page of a book"

v. make an effort or attempt; "He tried to shake off his fears"; "The infant had essayed a few wobbly steps"; "The police attempted to stop the thief"; "He sought to improve himself"; "She always seeks to do good in the world"

v. attempt by employing effort; "we endeavor to make our customers happy"

v. be a guiding force, as with directions or advice; "The teacher steered the gifted students towards the more challenging courses"

v. act as the navigator in a car, plane, or vessel and plan, direct, plot the path and position of the conveyance; "Is anyone volunteering to navigate during the trip?"; "Who was navigating the ship during the accident?"

v. accompany as a chaperone

v. escort in transit; "the trucks convoyed the cars across the battle zone"; "the warships convoyed the merchant ships across the Pacific"

adj. having the lower score or lagging position in a contest; "behind by two points"; "the 8th inning found the home team trailing"

adj. without concealment or deception; honest; "their business was open and aboveboard"; "straightforward in all his business affairs"

adj. characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion; "blunt talking and straight shooting"; "a blunt New England farmer"; "I gave them my candid opinion"; "forthright criticism"; "a forthright approach to the problem"; "tell me what you think--and you may just as well be frank"; "it is possible to be outspoken without being rude"; "plainspoken and to the point"; "a point-blank accusation"

adj. extended senses; direct in means or manner or behavior or language or action; "a direct question"; "a direct response"; "a direct approach"

adj. without evasion or compromise: "a direct approach"; "a downright kind of person"; "a flat-footed refusal"; "forthright criticism"; "a foursquare refusal to yield"; "his usual head-on fashion"; "a straightforward account of the accident"

adj. not disposed to cheat or defraud; not deceptive or fraudulent; "honest lawyers"; "honest reporting"; "an honest wage"; "honest weight"

adj. having a good reputation; "a reputable business"; "a reputable scientist"; "a reputable wine"

adj. characterized by an inability to mask your feelings; not devious; "an ingenuous admission of responsibility"

adj. not fake or counterfeit; "a genuine Picasso"; "genuine leather"

adj. characterized by speed and efficiency

adj. producing or capable of producing an intended result or having a striking effect; "an air-cooled motor was more effective than a witch's broomstick for rapid long-distance transportation"-LewisMumford; "effective teaching methods"; "effective steps toward peace"; "made an effective entrance"; "his complaint proved to be effectual in bringing action"; "an efficacious law"

adj. able to accomplish a purpose; functioning effectively; "people who will do nothing unless they get something out of it for themselves are often highly effective persons..."-G.B.Shaw; "effective personnel"; "an efficient secretary"; "the efficient cause of the revolution"

adj. ready for business; "the stores are open"

adj. not pretended; sincerely felt or expressed; "genuine emotion"; "her interest in people was unfeigned"; "true grief"

adj. free of deceit

adj. without dissimulation; frank; "my honest opinion"

adj. inclined to believe or confide readily; full of trust; "great brown eye, true and trustful"- Nordhoff & Hall

adj. occurring with no delay; "relief was instantaneous"; "instant gratification"

adj. exceedingly sudden and unexpected; "came to an abrupt stop"; "an abrupt change in the weather"

adj. happening without warning or in a short space of time; "a sudden storm"; "a sudden decision"; "a sudden cure"

adj. of first rank or importance or value; direct and immediate rather than secondhand; "primary goals"; "a primary effect"; "primary sources"; "a primary interest"

adj. necessary foods or commodities; "wheat is a staple crop"

adj. serving as a base or starting point; "a basic course in Russian"; "basic training for raw recruits"; "a set of basic tools"; "an introductory art course"

adj. briefly giving the gist of something; "a short and compendious book"; "a compact style is brief and pithy"; "succinct comparisons"; "a summary formulation of a wide-ranging subject"

adj. concise and full of meaning; "welcomed her pithy comments"; "the peculiarly sardonic and sententious style in which Don Luis composed his epigrams"- Hervey Allen

adj. cut short; "a sawed-off shotgun"; "a sawed-off broomstick"; "the shortened rope was easier to use"

adj. (used of texts) shortened by condensing or rewriting; "an abridged version"

adj. not subject to restraint; "unrestrained laughter"

adj. able to act at will; not hampered; not under compulsion or restraint; "free enterprise"; "a free port"; "a free country"; "I have an hour free"; "free will"; "free of racism"; "feel free to stay as long as you wish"; "a free choice"

adj. seemingly boundless in amount, number, degree, or especially extent; "unbounded enthusiasm"; "children with boundless energy"; "a limitless supply of money"

adj. not subject to or subjected to restriction

adj. impossible to repress or control; "an irrepressible chatterbox"; "uncontrollable laughter"

adj. ready for business; "the stores are open"

adj. given to expressing yourself freely or insistently; "outspoken in their opposition to segregation"; "a vocal assembly"

adj. without concealment or deception; honest; "their business was open and aboveboard"; "straightforward in all his business affairs"

adj. direct in spatial dimensions; proceeding without deviation or interruption; straight and short; "a direct route"; "a direct flight"; "a direct hit"

adj. having a good reputation; "a reputable business"; "a reputable scientist"; "a reputable wine"

adj. characterized by an inability to mask your feelings; not devious; "an ingenuous admission of responsibility"

adj. not fake or counterfeit; "a genuine Picasso"; "genuine leather"

adj. clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment; "the effects of the drought are apparent to anyone who sees the parched fields"; "evident hostility"; "manifest disapproval"; "patent advantages"; "made his meaning plain"; "it is plain that he is no reactionary"; "in plain view"

adj. (of e.g. information) not secondhand or by way of something intermediary; "his work is based on only original, not secondary, sources"

adj. open and genuine; not deceitful; "he was a good man, decent and sincere"; "felt sincere regret that they were leaving"; "sincere friendship"

adj. steadfast in affection or allegiance; "years of faithful service"; "faithful employees"; "we do not doubt that England has a faithful patriot in the Lord Chancellor"

adj. worthy of trust or belief; "a trustworthy report"; "an experienced and trustworthy traveling companion"

adj. conforming to truth; "I wouldn't have told you this if it weren't so"; "a truthful statement"

adj. characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion; "blunt talking and straight shooting"; "a blunt New England farmer"; "I gave them my candid opinion"; "forthright criticism"; "a forthright approach to the problem"; "tell me what you think--and you may just as well be frank"; "it is possible to be outspoken without being rude"; "plainspoken and to the point"; "a point-blank accusation"

adj. earnest; "one's dearest wish"; "devout wishes for their success"; "heartfelt condolences"

adj. not pretended; sincerely felt or expressed; "genuine emotion"; "her interest in people was unfeigned"; "true grief"

adj. ready for business; "the stores are open"

adj. without concealment or deception; honest; "their business was open and aboveboard"; "straightforward in all his business affairs"

adj. lacking pretension or affectation; "an unpretentious country church"; "her quiet unpretentious demeanor"

adj. having no intervening persons, agents, conditions; "in direct sunlight"; "in direct contact with the voters"; "direct exposure to the disease"; "a direct link"; "the direct cause of the accident"; "direct vote"

adv. in a forthright manner; candidly or frankly; "he didn't answer directly"; "told me straight out"; "came out flat for less work and more pay"

adv. "She found herself face-to-face with a policeman"

adv. "Think ahead!"

adv. conforming to the direction of a plumb line

v. look on as or consider; "she looked on this affair as a joke"; "He thinks of himself as a brilliant musician"; "He is reputed to be intelligent"

v. keep in mind or convey as a conviction or view; "take for granted"; "view as important"; "hold these truths to be self-evident"; "I hold him personally responsible"

v. terminate the employment of; "The boss fired his secretary today"; "The company terminated 25% of its workers"

v. stop associating with; "They dropped her after she had a child out of wedlock"

v. direct into a position for use; "point a gun"; "He charged his weapon at me"

v. aim or direct at; as of blows, weapons, or objects such as photographic equipment; "Please don't aim at your little brother!"; "He trained his gun on the burglar"; "Don't train your camera on the women"; "Take a swipe at one's opponent"

v. intend (something) to move towards a certain goal; "He aimed his fists towards his opponent's face"; "criticism directed at her superior"; "direct your anger towards others, not towards yourself"

adj. located closest to the stern or tail

adj. (aeronaut) pertaining to the tail section of a plane

adj. having no deviations; "straight lines"; "straight roads across the desert"; "straight teeth"; "straight shoulders"

adj. not disposed to cheat or defraud; not deceptive or fraudulent; "honest lawyers"; "honest reporting"; "an honest wage"; "honest weight"

adj. occurring with no delay; "relief was instantaneous"; "instant gratification"

adj. openly straightforward and direct without reserve or secretiveness; "his candid eyes"; "an open and trusting nature"; "a heart-to-heart talk"

adj. connected by kinship, common origin, or marriage

adj. being a regular member of a team; "first-string players"

adj. first and most important; "his special interest is music"; "she gets special (or particular) satisfaction from her volunteer work"

v. do away with, cause the destruction or undoing of; "The fire destroyed the house"

adj. not informed through reading; "he seems to have been wholly unread in political theory"- V.L.Parrington

adj. not direct in spatial dimension; not leading by a straight line or course to a destination; "sometimes taking an indirect path saves time"; "you must take an indirect course in sailing"

adj. deviating from a straight course; "a scenic but devious route"; "a long and circuitous journey by train and boat"; "a roundabout route avoided rush-hour traffic"

adj. of a path e.g.; "meandering streams"; "rambling forest paths"; "the river followed its wandering course"; "a winding country road"

adj. (of movement) at an angle

adj. extended senses; not direct in manner or language or behavior or action; "making indirect but legitimate inquiries"; "an indirect insult"; "doubtless they had some indirect purpose in mind"; "though his methods are indirect they are not dishonest"; "known as a shady indirect fellow"

adj. avoiding the issue; not straightforward: "an evasive statement"

adj. (of e.g. speech and writing) tending to depart from the main point or cover a wide range of subjects; "amusingly digressive with satirical thrusts at women's fashions among other things"; "a rambling discursive book"; "his excursive remarks"; "a rambling speech about this and that"

adj. roundabout and unnecessarily wordy; "had a preference for circumlocutious (or circumlocutory) rather than forthright expression"; "A periphrastic study in a worn-out poetical fashion,/ Leaving one still with the intolerable wrestle/ With words and meanings."-T.S.Eliot; (`ambagious' is archaic)

adj. not straightforward or candid; giving a false appearance of frankness; "an ambitious, disingenuous, philistine, and hypocritical operator, who...exemplified...the most disagreeable traits of his time"- David Cannadine; "a disingenuous excuse"

adj. professing feelings or virtues one does not have; "hypocritical praise"

adj. descended from a common ancestor but through different lines; "cousins are collateral relatives"; "an indirect descendant of the Stuarts"