0 the use of strikes, violence, or protests as a way of trying to get what you want, instead of talking
1 the use of actions such as strikes or protests as a way of trying to achieve political or other changes:
In England there is a separate organization of the I. W. W. that is advancing rapidly, while the influence on the old trade unions is very noticeable in their changed attitude of late toward 'direct action.'...
This necessity for community solidarity is often overlooked by followers of Gandhi who advocate reforms by means of non-violent direct action in our western society.
The effect on worm length could be brought about by the direct action of these effectors on the worms.
A direct action of temperature on metabolic reactions may account for the shorter developmental time of insects reared at warmer temperatures.
The striving to integrate and cohesively direct action is a basic form of biological activity.
This collapse marked the end of radical direct action or shop-floor alternatives to municipal politics.
These mechanical signals can be blocked by progesterone either by a direct action of this hormone or possibly through the support of stretch-induced uterine hypertrophy.
In large part because of the political repression within the arsenals, workers perceived mobility as the best form of resistance and avoided direct action.
