English
conduct
Pronunciation
  • (noun)
    • (RP) IPA: /ˈkɒndʌkt/
    • (America) enPR: kŏn'dŭkt, IPA: /ˈkɑndʌkt/
  • (verb)
    • enPR: kəndŭkt', IPA: /kənˈdʌkt/
Noun

conduct

  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.
    • 1843, Henry Brougham, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux, Political Philosophy
      the conduct of the state, the administration of its affairs, its policy, and its laws, are for more uncertain
  2. Skillful guidance or management; leadership
    • 1722 (first printed) Edmund Waller, Poems, &c. written upon several occasions, and to several persons
      Conduct of armies is a prince's art.
    • 1769, William Robertson, The history of the reign of Emperor Charles V
      […] attacked the Spaniards […] with great impetuosity, but with so little conduct, that his forces were totally routed.
    • 1841, Charles Dickens, Barnaby Rudge Chapter 49
      At the head of that division which had Westminster Bridge for its approach to the scene of action, Lord George Gordon took his post; with Gashford at his right hand, and sundry ruffians, of most unpromising appearance, forming a kind of staff about him. The conduct of a second party, whose route lay by Blackfriars, was entrusted to a committee of management
  3. behaviour; the manner of behaving
    Good conduct will be rewarded and likewise poor conduct will be punished.
    • 1840, James Fenimore Cooper, The Pathfinder
      when she came to recall the affectionate and natural manner of the young Indian girl, and all the evidences of good faith and sincerity she had seen in her conduct during the familiar intercourse of their journey, she rejected the idea with the unwillingness of a generous disposition to believe ill of others
    • 1848, Thomas Macaulay, The History of England from the Accession of James II
      All these difficulties were increased by the conduct of Shrewsbury.
    • 1711, John Dryden, Tenth Satire (translation from Latin of Juvenal)
      What in the conduct of our life appears / So well designed, so luckily begun, / But when we have our wish, we wish undone?
  4. (of a literary work) plot; storyline
    • c. 1800, Thomas Macaulay, Essays, critical and miscellaneous
      The book of Job, indeed, in conduct and diction, bears a considerable resemblance to some of his dramas.
  5. (obsolete) convoy; escort; person who accompanies another
    • 1599, Ben Jonson, Every Man out of His Humour
      I will be your conduct.
    • c. 1597, William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358 ↗, [Act III, scene i]:
      In my conduct shall your ladies come.
  6. (archaic) Something which carries or conveys anything; a channel; an instrument.
    • 1591, William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358 ↗, [Act II, scene iv]:
      although thou hast been conduct of my chame
Synonyms Translations Translations
  • Russian: управле́ние
Translations Verb

conduct (conducts, present participle conducting; past and past participle conducted)

  1. (archaic, transitive) To lead, or guide; to escort.
    • 1634, John Milton, Comus
      I can conduct you, lady, to a low / But loyal cottage, where you may be safe.
  2. (transitive) To lead; to direct; to be in charge of (people or tasks)
    The commander conducted thousands of troops.
    to conduct the affairs of a kingdom
    • 1856-1858, William Hickling Prescott, History of the Reign of Phillip II
      the Turks, however efficient they may have been in field operations, had little skill as engineers, and no acquaintance with the true principles of conducting a siege
  3. (transitive) (reflexively to conduct oneself) To behave.
    He conducted himself well.
  4. (transitive) To serve as a medium for conveying; to transmit (heat, light, electricity, etc.)
    • 1975, Clive M. Countryman, Heat-Its Role in Wildland Fire Part 2
      Water and many other liquids do not conduct heat well. Wildland fuels in general, wood, and wood products conduct heat slowly, and so do soil and rocks.
  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 Translations Translations Translations Translations
  • Russian: проводи́ть
  • Spanish: conducir
Translations Translations Translations

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