conduct

[ noun kon-duhkt; verb kuhn-duhkt ]

noun

1. personal behavior; way of acting; bearing or deportment.

   Synonyms: actions, comportment, demeanor, manners

2. direction or management; administration:

   the conduct of a business.

   Synonyms: government, guidance

3. the act of conducting; guidance:

   The curator's conduct through the museum was informative.

4. Obsolete. a guide; an escort.

verb (used with object)

1. to behave or manage (oneself):

   He conducted himself well.

   Synonyms: bear, deport

2. to direct in action or course; manage; carry on: to conduct a test.

   to conduct a meeting;

   to conduct a test.

   Synonyms: administer, supervise

3. to direct (an orchestra, chorus, etc.) as leader.
4. to lead or guide; escort:

   to conduct a tour.

5. to serve as a channel or medium for (heat, electricity, sound, etc.):

   Copper conducts electricity.

verb (used without object)

1. to lead.
2. to act as conductor, or leader of a musical group, by communicating a specific interpretation of the music to the performers by motions of a baton or the hands.

conduct

noun

1. the manner in which a person behaves; behaviour
2. the way of managing a business, affair, etc; handling
3. rare.
   the act of guiding or leading
4. rare.
   a guide or leader

verb

1. tr to accompany and guide (people, a party, etc) (esp in the phrase conducted tour )
2. tr to lead or direct (affairs, business, etc); control
3. tr to do or carry out

   conduct a survey

4. tr to behave or manage (oneself)

   the child conducted himself well

5. to control or guide (an orchestra, choir, etc) by the movements of the hands or a baton Also (esp US)direct
6. to transmit (heat, electricity, etc)

   metals conduct heat

Derived Forms

• conˈductible, adjective
• conˌductiˈbility, noun

Other Words From

• con·duct·i·ble adjective
• con·duct·i·bil·i·ty [k, uh, n-duhk-t, uh, -, bil, -i-tee], noun
• non·con·duc·ti·bil·i·ty noun
• non·con·duc·ti·ble adjective
• pre·con·duct verb (used with object)
• re·con·duct verb (used with object)
• un·con·duct·i·ble adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of conduct¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; late Middle English, from Medieval Latin conductus “escort,” noun use of Latin conductus (past participle of condūcere “to lead, bring together”), equivalent to con- con- + duc- “to lead” + -tus past participle suffix; replacing Middle English conduyt(e), from Anglo-French, from Latin as above; conduit; conduce

Word History and Origins

Origin of conduct¹

C15: from Medieval Latin conductus escorted, from Latin: drawn together, from condūcere to conduce

Synonym Study

See behavior.

Example Sentences

"Further remediation work and strengthened practice is required and therefore there remains a real risk of harm to the public and repetition of the conduct should Ms Robinson be permitted to practise unrestricted," they added.

From BBC

Donald Trump promised that, once reelected, he would conduct the largest deportation campaign in United States history.

From Los Angeles Times

The pair – who will compete for the undisputed title in the chief support - conducted themselves appropriately to build up to the richest fight in female boxing.

From BBC

Unknown to him, researchers at the Ministry of Defence had been conducting their own investigation.

From BBC

The King is treating his birthday as a working day, visiting a new food hub in south London and conducting a virtual opening ceremony for another, on Merseyside.

From BBC

Related Words

• attend
• control
• direct
• handle
• keep
• manage
• operate
• order
• organize
• oversee
• regulate
• run
• supervise

When To Use

What are other ways to say conduct?

To conduct oneself is to behave or manage oneself. To conduct a tour is to lead or guide it. How does conduct compare to synonyms guide, direct, and lead? Find out on Thesaurus.com.