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

\/\/ conducted<\/em> negotiations<\/p>" } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "In what contexts can 'control' take the place of 'conduct'?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "

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

\/\/ controlling<\/em> his appetite<\/p>" } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "When might 'direct' be a better fit than 'conduct'?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "

While in some cases nearly identical to conduct<\/em>, direct<\/em><\/a> implies constant guiding and regulating so as to achieve smooth operation.<\/p>

\/\/ directs<\/em> the store's day-to-day business<\/p>" } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "When can 'manage' be used instead of 'conduct'?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "

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

\/\/ manages<\/em> a meat market<\/p>" } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "How is the word 'conduct' distinct from other similar verbs?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "

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

\/\/ conducted<\/em> negotiations<\/p>" } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "In what contexts can 'control' take the place of 'conduct'?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "

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

\/\/ controlling<\/em> his appetite<\/p>" } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "When might 'direct' be a better fit than 'conduct'?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "

While in some cases nearly identical to conduct<\/em>, direct<\/em><\/a> implies constant guiding and regulating so as to achieve smooth operation.<\/p>

\/\/ directs<\/em> the store's day-to-day business<\/p>" } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "When can 'manage' be used instead of 'conduct'?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "

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

\/\/ manages<\/em> a meat market<\/p>" } } ] }

conduct 1 of 2

verb

kÉ™n-ˈdÉ™kt 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-(ËŒ)dÉ™kt 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

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
Bonta has repeatedly sent letters to Bianco’s office over the last two months saying his staff is not qualified to conduct a recount. —ABC News, 22 Mar. 2026 At the end of the 1980s, CBS News and The New York Times conducted this poll asking New Yorkers at random, what causes homelessness. —John Blake, CNN Money, 22 Mar. 2026
Noun
In a statement, FIU President Jeanette Nuñez said the university has initiated charges against members of the chat based on violations of its non-discrimination regulation and the student code of conduct. —Miami Herald, 20 Mar. 2026 In The Bee’s earlier report on the lawsuit, two Stanford female staffers spoke on the record in support of Taylor, offering positive accounts of his workplace conduct. —Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 20 Mar. 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
  • The additional $10 million the department is requesting would pay for two supervising attorneys, 25 attorneys, 3 senior legal analysts and one associate governmental program analyst, the request says.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 23 Mar. 2026
  • The lawsuit also claims that the city failed to properly hire, supervise, train and retain VonBank.
    — Maya Wilkins, Chicago Tribune, 23 Mar. 2026
Definition of supervise
Verb
  • They have been seen directing snaking security lines and passing out water bottles to tired travelers.
    — Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN Money, 26 Mar. 2026
  • Neighbors said King retaliated by erecting a floodlight directed at the neighbor’s house, along with blasting loud music.
    — Laura Bauer, Kansas City Star, 26 Mar. 2026
Definition of direct
Verb
  • What emerged was something that behaved less like a collection of individuals and more like a fluid.
    — Yook JiHun, Popular Science, 26 Mar. 2026
  • Yet Illinois’ dominant insurer, along with many of its peers, continues to behave as though steep increases are unavoidable.
    — Barbara Hoare, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026
Definition of behave
Verb
  • Big screen or home stream, takeout or dine-in, Tribune writers are here to steer you toward your next great experience.
    — Eva Remijan-Toba, Chicago Tribune, 25 Mar. 2026
  • Pemberton didn’t want the score to feel especially traditional or even particularly Earth-bound, which meant steering clear of the tropes of both orchestral and electronic music.
    — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 25 Mar. 2026
Definition of steer
Verb
  • Your precise coordinates are never transmitted to or stored by the AJC.
    — AJC.com, AJC.com, 26 Mar. 2026
  • Rabies is a preventable viral disease that is most often transmitted through the bite of a rabid animal.
    — City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026
Definition of transmit
Noun
  • The intense heat wave threatens to make water management all the more challenging.
    — Mira Rojanasakul, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2026
  • Vireo Growth also signed a management services agreement to run the retail locations until the deal closes, which is expected to happen in the first half of the year.
    — Aldo Svaldi, Denver Post, 21 Mar. 2026
Definition of management
Noun
  • He was picked up in Tontitown, Arkansas, where the family lives, and charged with one count of lewd and lascivious behavior for molestation of a victim under age 12, and another count of lewd and lascivious behavior conducted by a person 18 years or older.
    — Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 26 Mar. 2026
  • The academic research will focus on college student gambling behaviors ranging from card games to proposition betting and prediction markets.
    — MICHAEL GOLDBERG Mississippi Today, Arkansas Online, 25 Mar. 2026
Definition of behavior
Verb
  • The new bureau, which will handle only disaster and emergency aid, is part of a larger office that oversees all foreign assistance.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 22 Mar. 2026
  • Another major change concerns the High Judicial Council, which oversees magistrates’ appointments and disciplinary matters.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 Mar. 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 27 Mar. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on conduct

Nglish: Translation of conduct for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about conduct

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