to direct traffic
8
3.8
- phrasal verb
:
dirigir el tráfico
- We'll probably be directing traffic the rest of our lives anyway.
- police directed traffic
Because he, as a young man, he was a policeman in Worcester, MA who directed traffic.
- Because he, as a young man, he was a policeman in Worcester, MA who directed traffic.
Examples
-
You directing traffic for the construction site?
-
A young cop is directing traffic, the extra summer man.
Fiction book (2000) -
Well, George, there are individuals directing traffic at the intersection.
-
A policeman who had been directing traffic was standing nearby.
Fiction book (1997) -
New York police officers directed traffic and had portable light towers for night use.
Blog text (31) -
Z runs around, directing traffic and encouraging the workers.
Fiction book (1998) -
When we drove through at Christmas, security guards stood at each intersection, directing traffic in white gloves.
Fiction book (1996) -
To the south, police officers in bright yellow jackets direct traffic, and claims adjusters walk the streets.
Blog text (3) -
A Midland Park Police officer responded to direct traffic at the heavily trafficked intersection where the lights were out.
Blog text (4) -
The police officer is trained to direct traffic during busy times to ensure safety.
Synonyms
94
4.2
To cause something like traffic or a river to go a different way
How Active
8
3.8
541
2.9
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase names a technical analytics category and is only partly predictable from its parts: 'traffic' clearly refers to visitor/data volume, and a general sense of 'direct' (coming straight / without intermediary) can hint at visits arriving without a referrer. However, the provided constituent definition of 'direct' as 'manage or guide' does not map onto the analytics sense, and the precise meaning ('no referring source recorded') requires domain knowledge, so the relation is not fully transparent to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Direct traffic comes from the clear picture of a person standing in the road, using their hands or a flag to point cars left or right so the flow keeps moving. That's why it means 'to manage the flow of vehicles' during an emergency or at busy places.