direct contact — face-to-face interaction
collocationB1IELTS 5+neutralcommon
meeting or communicating with someone in person, rather than by phone, email, or other indirect ways.
Say it like a native
Textbook Avoid corporeal proximity with infected individuals.
Native Avoid direct contact with anyone who's ill.
'Corporeal proximity' is bizarre; 'direct contact' is the standard phrase.
Pattern: in direct contact (with someone); have direct contact (with someone)
In use
- Many people prefer direct contact when discussing important matters.communication
- In my opinion, direct contact is essential for building trust in a team, because you can read body language and respond immediately.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ I had a direct contact with the manager.
✓ I had direct contact with the manager.
Usually uncountable here — no 'a'.
Common collocations
direct contact— with, have, avoid, physical
Don't confuse it
'Direct contact' is different from 'indirect contact', which means communicating through messages, calls, or other people.