directives

noun

plural of directive
1
as in instructions
a statement of what to do that must be obeyed by those concerned the company president regularly issues directives intended for all staff members

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2
as in decrees
an order publicly issued by an authority a directive issued by the archbishop that is to be read during Sunday services at every parish

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3
as in memorandums
a written communication giving information or directions a growing stack of unread directives from the company's senior vice president

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of directives Nearly one-third of Americans vote by mail and election officials contend there isn’t enough time to revise their systems to comply with the new Postal Service directives. — Lindsay Whitehurst, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2026 Nearly one-third of Americans vote by mail, and election officials contend there isn’t enough time to revise their systems to comply with the new Postal Service directives. — Nicholas Riccardi, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026 In each state, the governor is responsible for issuing flag directives. — Tania Azhang, Sacbee.com, 28 Aug. 2026 The mayor and other commissioners are chosen by voters and can direct the city manager through resolutions and other directives to take actions for the city. — Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 26 Aug. 2026 Meanwhile, a full review of the procedures and directives in the use and oversight of Flock technology is underway, Bottoms said. — Mark Morales, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2026 As they’ve mercifully been decreased from six to four to three over the last 50 years, so have the prime directives. — Kansas City Star, 25 Aug. 2026 In 2024, Western intelligence officials started gathering evidence that gangs in Scandinavia were subcontracting local teen-agers to carry out Iranian directives. — Cora Engelbrecht, New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2026 The donor is always right, board opinions get treated as directives instead of input, and the structure itself is beyond question. — Aparna Rae, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for directives
  1. instructions
  2. decrees
  3. memorandums
  4. edicts
  5. rulings
  6. notices
  7. orders
  8. decisions
Noun
  • All fungicides should be used cautiously and according to the label instructions.
    — Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have uncovered a new processor attack that can bypass defenses in Intel and AMD chips by exploiting a security gap lasting only a handful of instructions.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of instructions
Noun
  • Iran is determined to smother any internal unrest Rezaei’s appointment came in a recent set of decrees by the supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, that formally set Iran’s new senior leadership, including top military posts.
    — Lee Keath, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026
  • The starting gun for the new posture in Tehran sounded with decrees reorganizing Iran’s security leadership last week issued in the name of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.
    — Tim Lister, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of decrees
Noun
  • In August, Nvidia and six of the largest firms on Wall Street signed memorandums to mobilize more than $500 billion of outside capital around it.
    — Robert J. Szczerba, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Goldman signed non-binding memorandums of understanding (MOUs), not formal contracts, with Nvidia.
    — Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of memorandums
Noun
  • The president’s orders and edicts have no basis in reality, are nonsensical and are making our nation significantly less safe.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Those who oppose the Mexican Mafia, or fail to follow the edicts of the gang’s leaders, are often targeted for beatings or even death.
    — Sean Emery, Oc Register, 22 July 2026
Definition of edicts
Noun
  • In those rulings, Roberts joined with the court’s three liberal justices and at least one other conservative justice.
    — Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The conflicting rulings from the 3rd and 9th circuit courts have provided an opportunity for the Supreme Court to get involved and review which regulator should have oversight of prediction markets, Bank of America said in a Monday note.
    — Ananya Chetia, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of rulings
Noun
  • Antonio Castro, chief appraiser for the assessor’s office, said some of the owners probably received notices of the new assessment, but no final bills because staff ran out of time.
    — Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The habits people don’t see are what create the results everyone notices.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of notices
Noun
  • Hugging Face co-founder Thomas Wolf said in a social media post Monday that people were starting to monitor the Microduck supply chain, as the company sees a strong rush for orders.
    — Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2026
  • In effect, this would crowdfund assassinations in which many parties were interested but no one gave any direct orders.
    — Finn Brunton, Harpers Magazine, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of orders
Noun
  • The latest court decisions, however, have focused on whether Shirilla's postconviction petition was filed on time rather than the merits of those arguments.
    — Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 2 Sep. 2026
  • These decisions are not siloed within a sustainability team but are made the responsibility of commercial, sourcing, finance, and operations leaders.
    — Cleo Levin, Footwear News, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of decisions

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directive
directives
directly
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Cite this Entry

“Directives.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/directives. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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