Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To direct the course of; manage or control.
  • intransitive verb To lead or guide.
  • intransitive verb Music To direct the performance of (an orchestra or chorus, for example).
  • intransitive verb To serve as a medium for conveying; transmit.
  • intransitive verb To comport (oneself) in a specified way.
  • intransitive verb To act as a director or conductor.
  • intransitive verb To show the way; lead.
  • noun The way a person acts, especially from the standpoint of morality and ethics.
  • noun The act of directing or controlling; management.
  • noun Obsolete A guide; an escort.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To accompany and show the way to; guide; escort; lead.
  • To direct; act as leader of.
  • As a director of a musical performance. See conductor, 4.
  • To direct the course of; manage; carry on: as, he conducted his affairs with prudence.
  • Reflexively, to direct the action or conduct of; behave: as, he conducted himself nobly.
  • In physics, to carry, convey, transmit, or propagate: as, metal conducts heat better than wood.
  • In physics, to carry, convey, transmit, or propagate motion or energy; especially, to transmit electricity, heat, light, or sound.
  • To act as musical conductor.
  • To behave: used without the reflexive pronoun.
  • noun The act of guiding or leading; guidance; escort.
  • noun The act of directing or controlling; management; administration.
  • noun A drawing out or development, as of the action of a poem or the plot of a drama or a novel.
  • noun Skilful management or administration; good generalship; tact and dexterity in affairs; address.
  • noun Personal behavior or practice; way of acting generally or on a particular occasion; course of action; deportment: as, laudable conduct; evil conduct.
  • noun . A conductor, guard, or convoy; an escort.
  • noun A passport. See safe-conduct.
  • noun That which conveys or carries; a channel; a conduit.
  • noun A tax levied by Charles I. of England for the purpose of paying the traveling-expenses of his soldiers. Also conduct-money. See coat-money.
  • noun The arrangement and composition of a picture.
  • Hired; employed: as, “conduct prestis,”
  • noun The title of two clergymen appointed to read prayers at Eton College, England; a conductus.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • intransitive verb To act as a conductor (as of heat, electricity, etc.); to carry.
  • intransitive verb United States To conduct one's self; to behave.
  • transitive verb To lead, or guide; to escort; to attend.
  • transitive verb To lead, as a commander; to direct; to manage; to carry on.
  • transitive verb To behave; -- with the reflexive.
  • transitive verb (Physics) To serve as a medium for conveying; to transmit, as heat, light, electricity, etc.
  • transitive verb (Mus.) To direct, as the leader in the performance of a musical composition.
  • noun The act or method of conducting; guidance; management.
  • noun Skillful guidance or management; generalship.
  • noun Archaic Convoy; escort; guard; guide.
  • noun obsolete That which carries or conveys anything; a channel; a conduit; an instrument.
  • noun The manner of guiding or carrying one's self; personal deportment; mode of action; behavior.
  • noun Plot; action; construction; manner of development.
  • noun (Naut.) a portion of a seaman's wages retained till the end of his engagement, and paid over only if his conduct has been satisfactory.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun The act or method of controlling or directing
  • noun Skillful guidance or management; generalship.
  • noun The manner of guiding or carrying one's self; personal deportment; mode of action; behavior.
  • noun of a literary work Plot; action; construction; manner of development.
  • verb archaic, transitive To lead, or guide; to escort.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English conducten, from Latin condūcere, conduct-, to lead together; see conduce.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

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

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Examples

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  • Accent the first syllable: behavior; accent the second syllable: lead.

    August 25, 2007