conductor

noun con·duc·tor \ kən-ˈdək-tər \

Definition of conductor

:one that conducts: such as

a :guide

b :a collector of fares in a public conveyance

a railroad conductor

c :the leader of a musical ensemble

an orchestra conductor

d (1) :a material or object that permits an electric current to flow easily

Copper wire is a good conductor.

— compare insulator, semiconductor

(2) :a material capable of transmitting another form of energy (such as heat or sound)

Aluminum is a conductor of heat.

—

conductorial

play \ˌkän-ˌdək-ˈtȯr-ē-əl, kən-\ adjective

See conductor defined for English-language learners

See conductor defined for kids

Examples of conductor in a Sentence

Metal is a good conductor of electricity.

Recent Examples of conductor from the Web

The SummerFest Chamber Orchestra — a mixture of SummerFest superstars and local musicians — was urged ahead ever faster and ever louder by conductor David Zinman.

— christian hertzog, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Beethoven and David Zinman bring SummerFest to a wild close," 26 Aug. 2017
A high-speed train crashed into another train parked in a station in suburban Philadelphia early on Tuesday morning, leaving 42 people injured including the conductor.

— margaret hartmann, Daily Intelligencer, "42 Injured in Train Crash Outside of Philadelphia," 22 Aug. 2017
For one, a conductor crashed a train into a crowded station in Hoboken, New Jersey, injuring more than 100 people.

— james hamblin, The Atlantic, "A Burdensome Regulation Screening Truck Drivers for a Sleep Disorder," 8 Aug. 2017
Just before the third song, the conductor takes a moment to tell the audience about the next piece.

— andy kopsa, Cosmopolitan, "What It's Like to Raise a Child With a Terminal Illness in America," 1 Aug. 2017
And in April, another ambitious tween, U.K. resident Matthew Smith, became the youngest-ever conductor of the Nottingham Symphony Orchestra at the Royal Concert Hall in England.

— andrea park, Teen Vogue, "This Tattoo Artist Is Only 11 Years Old," 31 July 2017
Nevertheless, those many uncounted heads invariably need conductors to play the role of the metronome, and Mensch has gladly become the beat that leads this sordid fray.

— charles c. w. cooke, National Review, "Louise Mensch’s Destructive Fantasies," 20 July 2017
In the pit, resident conductor Christopher Allen propelled a performance that was lighter than air.

— janelle gelfand, Cincinnati.com, "'The Magic Flute' a surreal visual extravaganza," 16 July 2017
With the clocks stopped, the train’s conductor takes the audience on an winding journey across America from New York City to San Francisco, stopping along the way to visit inventors and notables who changed history in the 1880s.

— pam kragen, sandiegouniontribune.com, "One last dispatch from the Fringe: 8 shows close annual festival," 4 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'conductor.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of conductor

see ¹conduct

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

CONDUCTOR Defined for English Language Learners

conductor

noun

Definition of conductor for English Language Learners

: a person who stands in front of people while they sing or play musical instruments and directs their performance
: a person who collects money or tickets from passengers on a train or bus
: a material or object that allows electricity or heat to move through it