- 1happening not as the main aim, cause, or result of a particular action, but in addition to it the indirect effects of the war to find something out by indirect methods The building collapsed as an indirect result of the heavy rain. There would be some benefit, however indirect, to the state. indirect costs (= costs that are not directly connected with making a product, for example training, heat, rent, etc.)
- 2avoiding saying something in a clear and obvious way an indirect attack
- 3not going in a straight line an indirect route The plant prefers indirect sunlight. opposite direct
adverb The new law will affect us all, directly or indirectly.
noun [uncountable]See indirect in the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
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