conduct

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Contents

English [edit]

Etymology [edit]

Late Latin conductus (“defense, escort”), from Latin conductus, perfect passive participle of condūcō (“bring together”); see also conduce and conduit.

Pronunciation [edit]

Noun [edit]

conduct (uncountable)

  1. The act or method of controlling or directing
    • 1785, William Paley, The Principles of Moral and Political Philosophy
      There are other restrictions imposed upon the conduct of war, not by the law of nature primarily, but by the laws of war first, and by the law of nature as seconding and ratifying the laws of war.
  2. Skillful guidance or management; generalship.
    Conduct of armies is a prince's art. - Edmund Waller.
  3. The manner of guiding or carrying one's self; personal deportment; mode of action; behavior.
    Good conduct will be rewarded and likewise poor conduct will be punished.
    He carried himself with a distinguished conduct.
  4. (of a literary work) Plot; action; construction; manner of development.

Synonyms [edit]

Translations [edit]

act or method of controlling or directing
Skillful guidance or management; generalship
manner of guiding or carrying one's self
plot of a literary work

Verb [edit]

conduct (third-person singular simple present conducts, present participle conducting, simple past and past participle conducted)

  1. (archaic, transitive) To lead, or guide; to escort.
  2. (transitive) To lead, as a commander; to direct; to manage; to carry on; as, to conduct the affairs of a kingdom.
    Little skilled in the art of conducting a siege. - William H. Prescott.
  3. (transitive) (reflexively to conduct oneself) To behave.
    He conducted himself well.
  4. (transitive) To serve as a medium for conveying; to transmit, as heat, light, electricity, etc.
    • 2011 September 20, Matt Day and Tatyana Shumsky, “Copper Falls to 2011 Lows”, Wall Street Journal:
      The metal easily conducts electricity and doesn't rust in water, properties that have made it valuable in uses from household plumbing and electric wiring
  5. (transitive, music) To direct, as the leader in the performance of a musical composition.
    • 2006, Michael R. Waters with Mark Long and William Dickens, Lone Star Stalag: German Prisoners of War at Camp Hearne
      For a while, Walter Pohlmann, a well-known German conductor, conducted the orchestra in Compound 3. Later, Willi Mets, who had conducted the world-renowned Leipzig Symphony Orchestra, conducted the Compound 3 orchestra.
  6. (intransitive) To act as a conductor (as of heat, electricity, etc.); to carry.
  7. (transitive) To carry out (something organized)

Synonyms [edit]

Translations [edit]

lead or guide
direct or manage
reflexively: behave
to serve as a medium for conveying
music: to direct
act as a conductor (of heat, electricity, etc.)
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Translations to be checked

Statistics [edit]

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