conduct 1 of 2

verb

kən-ˈdəkt How to pronounce conduct (audio)
Definition of conductnext
1
as in to supervise
to look after and make decisions about the company's president continues to conduct the everyday affairs of the software firm he founded many years ago

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in to direct
to cause to move to a central point or along a restricted pathway the gutter conducts water to the curb, thus protecting the house's basement

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to behave
to manage the actions of (oneself) in a particular way conducted themselves at the party like perfect ladies and gentlemen

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to steer
to point out the way for (someone) especially from a position in front a job conducting tourists through the historical museum

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in to transmit
to cause (something) to pass from one to another a material that conducts heat quite efficiently

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

conduct

2 of 2

noun

ˈkän-(ˌ)dəkt How to pronounce conduct (audio)
1
as in management
the act or activity of looking after and making decisions about something the President was happy to leave the conduct of foreign affairs to his secretary of state

Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in behavior
the way or manner in which one conducts oneself a child who has often been scolded for poor conduct

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How is the word conduct distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of conduct are control, direct, and manage. While all these words mean "to use one's powers to lead, guide, or dominate," conduct implies taking responsibility for the acts and achievements of a group.

conducted negotiations

In what contexts can control take the place of conduct?

The meanings of control and conduct largely overlap; however, control implies a regulating or restraining in order to keep within bounds or on a course.

controlling his appetite

When might direct be a better fit than conduct?

While in some cases nearly identical to conduct, direct implies constant guiding and regulating so as to achieve smooth operation.

directs the store's day-to-day business

When can manage be used instead of conduct?

The words manage and conduct can be used in similar contexts, but manage implies direct handling and manipulating or maneuvering toward a desired result.

manages a meat market

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of conduct
Verb
The fire overtook soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, and Army reservists conducting live-fire training. — Rob Gillies, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026 Martinez-Olguin also pressed Helland on the administration’s contention that the federal government can’t violate the Voting Rights Act simply by conducting an investigation. — Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 19 Oct. 2026
Noun
The league said its review of Cooper’s conduct for potential violation of its personal conduct policy after a pair of domestic violence arrests in June remains ongoing and is unaffected by Cooper’s status change. — ABC News, 16 Oct. 2026 Investigators said Garrity’s conduct caused significant concern for Goldfein and his family. — Raul Trey Lopez, San Antonio Express-News, 16 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for conduct
Recent Examples of Synonyms for conduct
  1. supervise
  2. direct
  3. behave
  4. steer
  5. transmit
  6. management
  7. behavior
  8. oversee
Verb
  • Fisker Automotive said that an internal investigation supervised by transportation regulators found salt corrosion had caused a short circuit in the battery, leading to the fire, rather than a preexisting defect.
    — Suhauna Hussain, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Moton discussed it and his future with numerous people, including his family and Panthers team doctor Nancy Gritter, who supervised much of his care.
    — Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of supervise
Verb
  • Five films are directed by filmmakers from outside the Baltic countries, with Baltic talent and expertise playing significant roles in their production.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2026
  • People should still be involved, but their time can be directed where it’s needed, affecting cost, speed, accuracy and service quality.
    — Ozan Ozerk, Forbes.com, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of direct
Verb
  • In 1999 a group led by Austrian physicist Anton Zeilinger confirmed that fullerenes, large molecules consisting of 60 carbon atoms, behave just the same.
    — Philipp Strasberg, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Meet the 2026-27 Lakers, a team that will look different, sound different, feel different, play different and behave different from their recent predecessors in every way but one.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of behave
Verb
  • The Republican incumbent is up against Democrat Gina Hinojosa, an Austin state representative who has focused her campaign on affordability and public education, while largely steering away from social issues.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Oct. 2026
  • On April 8, 2025, the Herald/Times Tallahassee bureau broke the story, reporting that the DeSantis administration had steered Medicaid settlement money toward the Hope Florida Foundation.
    — Christopher Spata, Miami Herald, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of steer
Verb
  • While lone star ticks are the primary carriers of alpha-gal, black legged ticks do occasionally transmit alpha-gal syndrome, according to the CDC.
    — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 14 Oct. 2026
  • But land use attorneys Matthew McKerley and Richard Frank, in another op-ed, say many modern data centers fit the bill because they house equipment used to transmit consumer data to and from the internet.
    — Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of transmit
Noun
  • White said Salvation Brands is not to be confused with the big brand management firms such as Authentic Brands Group and WHP Global, which are getting all the attention these days.
    — Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Authorities in both countries were investigating the cyber incidents, which exposed vulnerabilities in some older refrigeration management systems and in the countries' highly efficient food supply chains.
    — JOHN LEICESTER, Arkansas Online, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of management
Noun
  • Contracts tied to sporting events, entertainment or pop culture outcomes can very much resemble similar behaviors of gambling or entertainment.
    — Aneri Jambusaria, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2026
  • After two months, the parties could reassess Hamas’s behavior and devise a more durable mechanism for delivering aid.
    — Eric Cortellessa, Time, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of behavior
Verb
  • The list of senior executives did not answer the question of who would oversee the old Paramount and Warner Bros.
    — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Florida has the nation’s busiest death chamber DeSantis, who leaves office in January, oversaw 19 executions in 2025, more than any other Florida governor in a single year since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976.
    — David Fischer, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of oversee

Browse Nearby Words

conducive
conduct
conducted
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Conduct.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conduct. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on conduct

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about conduct

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of jilt

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All