duct

[ duhkt ]

/ dʌkt /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for duct on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

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

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

Electricity. a single enclosed runway for conductors or cables.

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

verb (used with object)

to convey or channel by means of a duct or ducts: Heat from the oven is ducted to the outside.

QUIZ

GOOSES. GEESES. I WANT THIS QUIZ ON PLURAL NOUNS!

Test how much you really know about regular and irregular plural nouns with this quiz.

Question 1 of 9

Which of the following nouns has an irregular plural form?

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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

OTHER WORDS FROM duct

ductless, adjective

Words nearby duct

duckweed, duckwheat, ducky, Ducommun, Ducrey's bacillus, duct, ductal carcinoma in situ, ductile, ductility, ducting, duction

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use duct in a sentence

The patch is patterned with artificial sweat ducts, similar to human skin pores.
No sweat|Jennifer Chu|August 24, 2021|MIT Technology Review
I’d camp instead of pay for a hotel, and I wore the same puffy jacket forever, patching holes with duct tape.
Young, Dumb, and Broke: Why Outdoorsy Types Suck at Money|jversteegh|July 13, 2021|Outside Online
The images of sprouting ducts look like blossoming trees in the spring while later they shrivel like plants do in the fall.
The Cancer Custodians - Issue 102: Hidden Truths|Lina Zeldovich|June 23, 2021|Nautilus
The myoepithelial cells reside outside the ducts and work as muscles that squeeze the ducts to push milk out.
The Cancer Custodians - Issue 102: Hidden Truths|Lina Zeldovich|June 23, 2021|Nautilus

When the baby is born, the luminal cells, which line the inside of the ducts, produce the proteins that comprise milk.
The Cancer Custodians - Issue 102: Hidden Truths|Lina Zeldovich|June 23, 2021|Nautilus
With a bit of luck and duct tape, I thought we might put together enough votes to avoid a runoff.
How Thad Cochran Pulled Off a Win Over Chris McDaniel (Simple, Really)|Stuart Stevens|June 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The windows were sealed shut around the edges by duct tape but still rattled when it got windy.
Almost Famous: A Father's Day Story|Alex Belth|June 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He binds the little flyer with black plastic ties and seals her mouth with duct tape.
The Stacks: The Searing Story of How Murder Stalked a Tiny New York Town|E. Jean Carroll|April 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Nobody was allowed in his room, where the windows were covered with black garbage bags secured with duct tape.
We Already Know What Adam Lanza’s Real Motive Was at Sandy Hook|Michael Daly|November 26, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The large roll of duct tape was still attached and found next to her head by firefighters.
Autopsies on Hannah Anderson’s Family Bring Police No Closer to a Motive|Christine Pelisek|September 24, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Another smaller lymph duct enters the right subclavian vein.
A Civic Biology|George William Hunter
Above I could see the end of the duct faintly in the light coming up through the open chamber door from the utility room.
Greylorn|John Keith Laumer
Having ligated the duct, he saw it swell below and become empty above the ligature.
An Epitome of the History of Medicine|Roswell Park
The duct that bears his name was discovered during his residence in Leyden or at Amsterdam.
An Epitome of the History of Medicine|Roswell Park
The ancient conception of the artery as an air-duct gave rise to the derivation from Gr.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D)|Various

British Dictionary definitions for duct

duct

/ (dʌkt) /

noun

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

any bodily passage, esp one conveying secretions or excretions

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

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

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

the ink reservoir in a printing press

Derived forms of duct

ductless, adjective

Word Origin for duct

C17: from Latin ductus a leading (in Medieval Latin: aqueduct), from dūcere to lead

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

Medical definitions for duct

duct

[ dŭkt ]

A tubular bodily canal or passage, especially one for carrying a glandular secretion such as bile.

Other words from duct

duct•al adj.

Scientific definitions for duct

duct

[ dŭkt ]

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.

duct

Origin of duct

OTHER WORDS FROM duct

Words nearby duct

Words related to duct

How to use duct in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for duct

Derived forms of duct

Word Origin for duct

Medical definitions for duct

Other words from duct

Scientific definitions for duct