conductor

[ kuhn-duhk-ter ]

/ kənˈdʌk tər /

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See synonyms for: conductor / conductors on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

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.

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

a substance, body, or device that readily conducts heat, electricity, sound, etc.: Copper is a good conductor of electricity.

lightning rod.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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

OTHER WORDS FROM conductor

con·duc·to·ri·al

[kon-duhk-tawr-ee-uhl, -tohr-], /ˌkɒn dʌkˈtɔr i əl, -ˈtoʊr-/, adjectivecon·duc·tor·ship, nounmul·ti·con·duc·tor, adjectivepre·con·duc·tor, noun

Words nearby conductor

conductive, conductive education, conductivity, conductivity water, conductometric titration, conductor, conductress, conductus, conduit, conduplicate, condylarth

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use conductor in a sentence

The deadly Rice Fire in 2007 was caused by a Sycamore branch falling on overhead SDG&E conductors igniting a huge brush fire.
Regulators Approve SDG&E Wildfire Plan Despite Serious Flaw|MacKenzie Elmer|September 25, 2020|Voice of San Diego
Like any good conductor, however, the Kennedy Center pivoted gracefully, transforming a portion of the REACH outdoor space into Victura Park.
A pop-up winery to pair with your pops|Evan Caplan|September 19, 2020|Washington Blade
As Hastings writes, Netflix is less like a perfectly synchronized orchestra, with a conductor directing how musicians should hit a note or hold a beat.
What if Your Company Had No Rules? (Bonus Episode)|Maria Konnikova|September 12, 2020|Freakonomics
Janssen’s Thakkar, who sees himself as a conductor of sorts, reflected, “The value is in the data, but the power is in the orchestration of customer engagement using traditional and predictive insights.”
E-learning? There’s a database for that. Real-time data? That, too|Jason Sparapani|August 20, 2020|MIT Technology Review

I will be a conductor of an orchestra, and the classroom will be my concert hall again.
I Tried to Cut Out the Distance in Distance Learning – Here’s What Happened|Thomas Courtney|July 13, 2020|Voice of San Diego
He mistrusted the “shish-kebab temperament” of the conductor, the Armenian Alexander Melik-Pashayev.
When Stalin Met Lady Macbeth|Brian Moynahan|November 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Ninety-Sixth Street marks the first delay of the trip, the cause of which is lost in a garbled announcement from the conductor.
Leaky Ceilings, Catcalls, and Uncaged Pythons: 4 Hours on NYC’s Worst Subway|Kevin Zawacki|August 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Dawkins is an adept cultural fire-conductor; the title of his bestselling book The God Delusion gives a clear indicator why.
Atheist King Richard Dawkins’ Rape Fantasy|Tim Teeman|July 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Despite attempts to signal the conductor, the train was unable to stop in time, and it crashed into the derailed cars.
The Five Deadliest Train Derailments in U.S. History|The Daily Beast|December 2, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Shields went as far as hiring a real conductor to steer a train directly at the actress to get his memorable shot.
Celebrity Photographer Tyler Shields Exposes ‘The Dirty Side of Glamour’|Justin Jones|November 6, 2013|DAILY BEAST
With unbreathing silence, and a heart into which all that was man within him was summoned, he followed his conductor.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4|Jane Porter
A car conductor is instructed to treat passengers civilly and to use no harsh means with them, save in extreme cases.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman|Albert Sidney Bolles
His principal surely would not be liable, though the conductor doubtless would be.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman|Albert Sidney Bolles
The cylinder and steam-pipes were surrounded with sawdust about 20 inches in thickness, as a non-conductor of heat.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2)|Francis Trevithick
Do not continually pester either your companion or the conductor with questions, such as "Where are we now?"
The Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness|Florence Hartley

British Dictionary definitions for conductor

conductor

/ (kənˈdʌktə) /

noun

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

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

a person who leads or guides

US and Canadian a railway official in charge of a train

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

See lightning conductor

Derived forms of conductor

conductorship, nounconductress (kənˈdʌktrɪs), fem n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for conductor

conductor

[ kən-dŭk′tər ]

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. Compare insulator. See also resistance superconductivity.

Cultural definitions for conductor

conductor

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.)

conductor

Origin of conductor

OTHER WORDS FROM conductor

Words nearby conductor

Words related to conductor

How to use conductor in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for conductor

Derived forms of conductor

Scientific definitions for conductor

Cultural definitions for conductor