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. CroftsExamples 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 Web
Scott White, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025
What To Know While a solar eclipse involves the moon passing between the sun and the Earth, casting a shadow across our planet, a lunar eclipse involves the Earth passing directly between the moon and the sun.
—Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 12 Mar. 2025
America imports very little steel directly from China, by far the world’s largest producer of steel.
—Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN, 12 Mar. 2025
Notably, every spoken word in the game is taken directly from Shakespeare’s original text, preserving the rhythms and musicality of the language while adapting the structure to fit an interactive format.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 12 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for directly
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.
Adverb
Many of those affected likely worked in areas directly related to the processing of federal student aid applications.
—Scott White, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025
What To Know While a solar eclipse involves the moon passing between the sun and the Earth, casting a shadow across our planet, a lunar eclipse involves the Earth passing directly between the moon and the sun.
—Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 12 Mar. 2025
America imports very little steel directly from China, by far the world’s largest producer of steel.
—Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN, 12 Mar. 2025
Notably, every spoken word in the game is taken directly from Shakespeare’s original text, preserving the rhythms and musicality of the language while adapting the structure to fit an interactive format.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 12 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for directly
Cite this Entry
“Directly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/directly. Accessed 16 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share