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, kənˈdʌktrɪs /

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

He had retired in 2020 after almost 30 years working as a taxi driver, and had previously worked as a bus conductor.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

A CFP serves a role more akin, in musical terms, to a conductor.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026

Bouaddi functions as a deep-lying conductor - much in the same vein as Rodri - and would complement summer signing Elliot Anderson, who is more of a box-to-box midfielder.

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

At the dinner, Salonen gave a loving account of what it meant to be a music director and why he thought Dudamel was the right conductor at the right time.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

The kids ran off laughing, a conductor chasing them.

From "A Place to Belong" by Cynthia Kadohata

"Since India hasn't done much in AI or renewable energy or semi conductors, there are not many industries generating the kind of excitement or long-term returns investors now see elsewhere in Asia," says Sengupta.

From BBC ● May 14, 2026

Two conductors getting a good deal of attention lately make their debuts.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 17, 2026

During the 1980s, researchers studying ultra thin conductors at extremely low temperatures made a surprising discovery.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 1, 2026

Although she chased cats, bit bus conductors and left messes on other people’s rugs, Tulip was inarguably the love of J.R.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 23, 2026

When other boys wanted to be policemen and streetcar conductors and cowboys, he still said he wanted to explore.

From "Miracles on Maple Hill" by Virginia Sorensen

Related Words

• director
• maestro
• manager
• master
• supervisor