duct

American  

[duhkt] / dʌkt /

noun

ducts plural

1. any tube, canal, pipe, or conduit by which a fluid, air, or other substance is conducted or conveyed.

2. Anatomy, Zoology. a tube, canal, or vessel conveying a body fluid, especially a glandular secretion or excretion.

3. Botany. a cavity or vessel formed by elongated cells or by many cells.

4. Electricity. a single enclosed runway for conductors or cables.

5. Printing. (in a press) the reservoir for ink.

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verb (used with object)

1. to convey or channel by means of a duct or ducts.

   Heat from the oven is ducted to the outside.

duct British  

/ dʌkt /

noun

1. a tube, pipe, or canal by means of which a substance, esp a fluid or gas, is conveyed

2. any bodily passage, esp one conveying secretions or excretions

3. a narrow tubular cavity in plants, often containing resin or some other substance

4. Also called: conduit.  a channel or pipe carrying electric cable or wires

5. a passage through which air can flow, as in air conditioning

6. the ink reservoir in a printing press

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duct Scientific  

/ dŭkt /

1. A tube or tubelike structure through which something flows, especially a tube in the body for carrying a fluid secreted that is by a gland.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• ductless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• ducts
  plural

Etymology

Origin of duct

First recorded in 1640–50; from Latin ductus “conveyance (of water),” hence “channel” (in Medieval Latin ), equivalent to duc- (variant stem of dūcere “to lead”) + -tus suffix of verbal action

Explanation

A duct is a pipe, tube, or tunnel through which water can flow. If there's a leaking duct in your kitchen, you may need to patch it or replace it — in any event, you should probably call a plumber. Liquids can move through a duct, and when the duct is in a person's body, like a tear duct or a pancreatic duct, it has the same purpose — tears, for example, flow through tear ducts. Some ducts aid the flow of substances other than liquids, like the air ducts that blow warm air from your furnace into the rooms of your house. Duct tape, often incorrectly called "duck tape," is tape that's used for repairing ducts.

Example Sentences

"Two super typhoons in two months, in the same year, is a historic event," said Castro, who has sealed windows at his home with duct tape and filled up extra water containers.

From Barron's • Jul. 3, 2026

Companies want robots that can crawl into duct spaces, identify ports and plug cables to help build the massive data centers needed for AI.

From Los Angeles Times • May 31, 2026

He had cholangiocarcinoma - a bile duct cancer - but it had reached Stage 4, meaning it was no longer curable, and the best he could hope for was treatment that would extend his life.

From BBC • May 2, 2026

Because he has asthma, he chose to demolish the entire venting and duct system.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

He unzips the front pocket, digs around for a moment, and then pulls out a rose made entirely of green duct tape.

From "Will Grayson, Will Grayson" by John Green and David Levithan

Related Words

• conduit
• tube