conduct

noun

1. 1

   The act or method of controlling or directing.

   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.

   the conduct of the state, the administration of its affairs, its policy, and its laws, are for more uncertain

2. 2

   Skillful guidance or management.

   If thou wilt ſtay with me renowmed man, / And lead thy thouſand horſe with my conduct, / Beſides thy ſhare of this Egyptian prize, / Thoſe thouſand horſe shall ſweat with martiall ſpoyle / Of conquered kingdomes, and of Cities ſackt, […]

   1722 (first printed) Edmund Waller, Poems, &c. written upon several occasions, and to several persons Conduct of armies is a prince's art.

   […] attacked the Spaniards […] with great impetuosity, but with so little conduct, that his forces were totally routed.

   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. 3

   Behaviour; the manner of behaving.

   Good conduct will be rewarded and likewise poor conduct will be punished.

   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

   All these difficulties were increased by the conduct of Shrewsbury.

   What in the conduct of our life appears / So well designed, so luckily begun, / But when we have our wish, we wish undone?

4. 4

   Plot.

   The book of Job, indeed, in conduct and diction, bears a considerable resemblance to some of his dramas.

5. 5

   obsoleteConvoy; escort; person who accompanies another.

   I will be your conduct.

   In my conduct shall your ladies come.

6. 6

   archaicSomething which carries or conveys anything; a channel; an instrument; a conduit.

   although thou hast been conduct of my chame

7. 7

   A priest hired to hold services without secure title; now a chaplain.

   […] at this present it is one of the most goodly and uniform Colledges in Europe; wherein is a Master, 60 Fellows, 67 scholars, 4 Conducts, 3 Publique Professours […] besides officers and servants of the foundation, with many other students, being in all 440.

   Cory in 1722 obtained a licence of non-residence from Bishop Fleetwood, his patron, he being at that time one of the conducts, or chaplains, of King’s College.

   The Rev Charles Mitchell-Innes, Conduct of Eton College, officiated, assisted by Mr Ralph Allwood, Precentor.

verb

1. 1

   archaicTo lead, or guide; to escort.

   I can conduct you, lady, to a low / But loyal cottage, where you may be safe.

2. 2

   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

   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. 3

   To behave.

   He conducted himself well.

4. 4

   To serve as a medium for conveying; to transmit (heat, light, electricity, etc.)

   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.

   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. 5

   To direct, as the leader in the performance of a musical composition.

   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. 6

   To act as a conductor (as of heat, electricity, etc.); to carry.

7. 7

   To carry out (something organized)

   The world's largest surveyor of deepwater oil fields won a contract to conduct a survey of the French Gulf of Lion to map sand reserves.

Forms

plural

conducts

past tense

conducted

past participle

conducted

present participle

conducting

third person singular

conducts