conductor

American  

[kuhn-duhk-ter] / kənˈdʌk tər /

noun

• conductors
  plural

1. 

   a person who conducts; a leader, guide, director, or manager.

2. an employee on a bus, train, or other public conveyance, who is in charge of the conveyance and its passengers, collects fares or tickets, etc.

3. a person who directs an orchestra or chorus, communicating a specific interpretation of the music to the performers by motions of a baton or the hands

4. a substance, body, or device that readily conducts heat, electricity, sound, etc..

   Copper is a good conductor of electricity.

5. lightning rod.

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conductor British  

/ kənˈdʌktə /

noun

1. an official on a bus who collects fares, checks tickets, etc

2. Also called (esp US): director. a person who conducts an orchestra, choir, etc

3. a person who leads or guides

4. a railway official in charge of a train

5. a substance, body, or system that conducts electricity, heat, etc

6. See lightning conductor

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conductor Scientific  

/ kən-dŭk′tər /

1. A material or an object that conducts heat, electricity, light, or sound. Electrical conductors contain electric charges (usually electrons) that are relatively free to move through the material; a voltage applied across the conductor therefore creates an electric current. Insulators (electrical nonconductors) contain no charges that move when subject to a voltage.

2. Compare insulator See also resistance superconductivity

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conductor Cultural  

1. A material through which electric current (see also current) can pass. In general, metals are good conductors. Copper or aluminum is normally used to conduct electricity in commercial and household systems. (Compare insulator.)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• conductorship
  noun
• conductress
  noun
• preconductor
  noun
• conductorial
  adjective
• multiconductor
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• conductors
  plural

Etymology

Origin of conductor

First recorded in 1400–50; from Latin ( see conduce, -tor); replacing late Middle English cond(u)itour from Anglo-French, equivalent to Middle French conduiteur from Latin as above; see conduit

Explanation

A train conductor is the person who takes tickets, shouts "All aboard!" and might control the engine, while a musical conductor is the one who leads an orchestra. Same job title — not the same person. From the Latin root conducere, meaning "bring together," a conductor does just that. A music conductor makes sure all the musicians come in at the right time and tempo, and a train conductor brings together all of the passengers. Another type of conductor is something that passes on electricity or heat, like a metal spoon, a conductor of heat when left in a pot that's simmering on the stove.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

conductor conductors

Another world is depicted beneath the children — one that won’t be seen until four minutes before conductor Domingo Hindoyan raises his baton and the curtain begins to rise.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

“I always give credit to my predecessors,” the conductor, ever the diplomat, said of the present state of his ensemble.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

But they can’t see what I remember when I hold it: cymbals timed correctly during the performance, a gratified nod from the conductor after weeks of botching it in rehearsal.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026

Given the tough task of trying to shut off the supply to Spain's conductor, Rodri.

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026

Finally the conductor and the brakeman, with a lantern, came to the rescue.

From "Mr. Popper's Penguins" by Florence Atwater and Richard Atwater

The first was something he shared with all conductors of major American orchestras in the early 2020s: coping with the Covid-19 pandemic.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

All conductors struggle with the contents of such inaugural bills, wanting them to shine a spotlight without seeming self-aggrandizing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

They cited a 1923 contract between Edison and Pacific Electric Railway Co. that said that “leakage of electricity or induction from or between” conductors was an inherent risk of operating multiple electrical circuits in proximity.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2026

The LA Philharmonic's creative director Esa-Pekka Salonen described Harding as "absolutely one of the most important conductors of our time".

From BBC ● May 26, 2026

Royal placed the coded messages in the classifieds that informed runaways and conductors of departures.

From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead

Related Words

• director
• maestro
• manager
• master
• supervisor