conduit

American  

[kon-dwit, -doo-it, -dyoo-it, -dit] / ˈkɒn dwɪt, -du ɪt, -dju ɪt, -dɪt /

noun

conduits plural

1. a pipe, tube, or the like, for conveying water or other fluid.

   Synonyms:

   channel, main, duct

2. a similar natural passage.

3. any means of transmission or conveyance, as of information.

   According to rumor, he served as a conduit for Israeli intelligence.

4. Electricity. a structure containing one or more ducts.

5. Archaic. a fountain.

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conduit British  

/ ˈkɒndɪt, -djʊɪt /

noun

1. a pipe or channel for carrying a fluid

2. a rigid tube or duct for carrying and protecting electrical wires or cables

3. an agency or means of access, communication, etc

4. botany a water-transporting element in a plant; a xylem vessel or a tracheid

5. a rare word for fountain

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• conduits
  plural

Etymology

Origin of conduit

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English conduit, condut, condewit, condit, from Old French conduit, from Medieval Latin conductus “pipe channel”; see origin at conduce, duct

Explanation

Instead of complaining about your chores, be grateful for the conduit, or pipe, that brings water to your home. Thanks to it, you don't have to go fetch water from the well whenever your mom wants a cup of coffee. The noun conduit comes from root words meaning "pipe," and the word retains this definition. For example, a channel between a reservoir and a water treatment plant could be called a conduit. Conduit can also be used in a figurative sense to refer to someone or something that conveys goods, information, or ideas. For instance, a religious leader might be seen as a conduit who brings divine messages to the people.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

conduit conduits

It serves as a conduit between riskier, volatile cryptocurrencies and the conventional finance system, essentially used as an offshore dollar.

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

As for the government’s anti-corruption interest, the court was not convinced that limiting coordinated party expenditures was necessary to curb conduit corruption.

From Salon ● Jul. 2, 2026

The combined spending in the past two quarters on AI-related equipment even padded GDP more than consumer spending, typically the main conduit by which the economy grows.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 27, 2026

A major issue in the talks is traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, the vital global conduit for oil shipments that has come under Iranian control since the outbreak of the war.

From Barron's ● May 25, 2026

They were also concerned that I was using George as a conduit to communicate with Oliver in Lusaka, and assumed that the written statement would contain sensitive information.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Traditionally, middle managers have acted as conduits who maintained close contact with both rank-and-file staff and higher-ups.

From MarketWatch ● May 7, 2026

There’s no evidence that this generation intends to make pining their only romantic activity; it’s more that they are very content, at the moment, to luxuriate in the many conduits for yearning available to them.

From Salon ● Feb. 21, 2026

These occur when magma pushes through existing conduits, when gas bubbles escape, or when pressure fluctuates inside volcanic channels.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 27, 2025

The pipelines, which linked Russia and Germany under the Baltic Sea, were the world’s largest offshore gas conduits at the time.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2025

Rick broke off, the conduits of his brain humming, calculating, and selecting; he altered what he had started to say. “—would detect it,” he finished.

From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick

Related Words

• duct
• pipe
• pipeline