lead
21 ENTRIES FOUND:
- lead (verb)
- lead (noun)
- lead (noun)
- leaded (adjective)
- lead–in (noun)
- leading (adjective)
- leading article (noun)
- leading edge (noun)
- leading lady (noun)
- leading light (noun)
- leading man (noun)
- leading question (noun)
- lead–up (noun)
- lead time (noun)
- balloon (noun)
- dance (noun)
- follow (verb)
- garden (noun)
- merry (adjective)
- nose (noun)
- path (noun)
Britannica Dictionary definition of LEAD
1
a
:
to guide someone to a place especially by going in front
— often + to
— often used as (be) led
— often used figuratively
[no object]
-
You lead and we'll follow right behind you.
[+ object]
-
He led [=took] me into a room in the back of the house.
-
You lead us and we'll follow right behind you.
-
The teacher led the child by the hand to his seat. = The teacher took the child's hand and led him to his seat.
-
Our hostess led us to the dinner table.
-
The passengers were led onto/aboard the ship by the steward.
-
The prisoner was led off to jail [=was taken to jail] in handcuffs.
-
I gradually led the interview around/back to the subject of his failed marriage.
-
He says that he will follow the evidence wherever it leads (him).
-
This leads me to my next point, which is that the building needs a new roof.
-
The painting's composition leads the/your eye to the figures in the foreground. [=causes you to look at the figures in the foreground]
b
[+ object]
:
to go or be at the front part of (something)
-
The veterans will lead a parade down Main Street.
-
lead a march
2
[no object]
:
to lie or go in a specified direction
— often used figuratively
-
The path leads uphill.
-
This road doesn't lead to the village as we thought it did.
-
a set of stairs that leads down to the basement
-
There was a path leading (off) from the meadow into the woods.
-
She realized that their relationship would never lead to marriage.
-
The investigation into the murder was leading nowhere. [=the investigation was not solving the crime]
3
:
to guide the actions of a person or group
:
to be in charge of a person, group, activity, etc.
[no object]
-
We need to elect someone who can lead.
-
bosses who lead by example [=who show employees how they should act by acting that way themselves]
[+ object]
-
She leads her employees by setting a good example for them.
-
She led a successful boycott of the store.
-
lead an expedition
-
A visiting professor will be leading the seminar.
-
lead [=direct] an orchestra
-
She led the children in a song. [=she sang a song and the children sang with her]
4
[+ object]
:
to cause (a person, group, etc.) to do something or to follow some course of action
— usually followed by to or to + verb
-
Her interest in art led her into the field of art history.
-
His volunteer work in the hospital led him to a career in nursing. = His volunteer work in the hospital led [=inspired] him to become a nurse.
-
Her experience with cancer led her to consider writing a book on the subject.
-
The evidence leads me to believe [=makes me believe] that this disease is curable.
-
We've been led to believe that the labels on food items disclose all ingredients, but it's becoming clear that this is not the case.
-
I had been led to expect that someone would meet me at the airport, but no one came.
-
He led me to understand [=he told me or caused me to think] that the deadline was January 7.
5
:
to be first, best, or ahead in a race or competition
— often used figuratively
[no object]
-
the team that is currently leading in the pennant race
-
At the end of the fourth inning, the Red Sox led by two runs.
[+ object]
-
lead a race
-
They led their opponents by 20 points at the end of the third quarter.
-
the team that is leading the league [=the team that is in first place]
-
a batter who leads the league in home runs [=who has hit more home runs than any other batter]
-
a runner who is leading the pack/field [=a runner who is ahead of the group of other runners]
-
Their company leads the world [=is the most successful company in the world] in developing new technology to assist people with disabilities.
6
[+ object]
:
to go through (life) in a certain way
:
to have (a specified kind of life)
-
They chose to lead [=live] a quiet life.
-
He leads a peaceful existence.
-
It turned out that he had been leading a double life. [=deceiving people about his life, not telling the whole truth about his life]
-
He has always led a charmed life. [=he has always been lucky]
-
She needs to lead her own life. [=she needs to make her own decisions about her life]
7
:
to begin play in a card game with (a certain card or kind of card)
[+ object]
-
lead trumps
-
led a spade
[no object]
8
[no object]
:
to guide a dance partner through the steps of a dance
-
I don't know this dance, so I'd prefer it if you lead.
9
[+ object]
law
:
to ask (a witness) a question in a way that suggests what the answer should be
:
to ask (a witness) a leading question
-
The judge ruled that the lawyer was leading the witness.
lead off
[phrasal verb]
1
lead off
or
lead (something) off
or
lead off (something)
:
to start something (such as an activity or performance) in a specified way
-
She led off [=started, kicked off] the presentation with a brief overview of the project.
-
She led off [=began] with a brief overview of the project.
2
baseball
:
to be the first batter in an inning
—
see also leadoff
-
He led off with a walk. [=he was the first batter in his team's half of the inning and he was walked]
-
He led off the inning with a home run.
lead on
[phrasal verb]
lead (someone) on
:
to cause (someone) to wrongly continue believing or doing something
-
She was devastated when she found out that he didn't really love her, and had only been leading her on. [=he had been leading her to believe that he loved her]
lead someone a merry chase
(US) old-fashioned or British lead someone a (merry) dance
:
to cause a series of troubles or worries for (someone)
-
He led me a merry chase before I finally got him to agree to a meeting.
lead someone (around) by the nose
lead someone down/up the garden path
informal
:
to deceive someone
:
to cause someone to go, think, or proceed wrongly
-
He believes the average consumer is being led down the garden path by the promises in advertisements.
lead the way
:
to be the first person to go somewhere
— often used figuratively
-
You lead the way, and we'll follow.
-
Their company led the way in developing this technology. [=was the first to have success developing the technology]
lead to
[phrasal verb]
lead to (something)
:
to result in (something)
—
see also 1lead 1a, 4 (above)
-
a course of study leading to a degree in agriculture
-
Her investigations ultimately led to the discovery of the missing documents.
-
His volunteer work in the hospital led to a career in nursing. = His volunteer work in the hospital led to him becoming a nurse.
lead up to
[phrasal verb]
1
lead up to (something)
:
to occur in the time that comes before (something)
-
Many voters were still undecided in the days leading up to [=approaching] the election.
2
:
to come before and help to cause (something)
-
There was a series of errors leading up to the accident.
3
:
to come before and help to introduce (something)
-
a chapter leading up to the main topic of the book
-
I had no idea what he was leading up to when he started talking about his father.
lead with
[phrasal verb]
1
lead with (something)
:
to begin something (such as a story or speech) with (something specified)
-
The newspaper story led [=opened, began] with a long report on the funeral.
2
:
to begin a series of punches in boxing with (a punch thrown by a specified hand)
-
The champion led with a left to the body, followed up quickly with a right to the jaw.
the blind leading the blind
2
lead
/ˈliːd/
noun
plural
leads
2
lead
/ˈliːd/
noun
plural
leads
Britannica Dictionary definition of LEAD
1
the lead
a
:
a position that is ahead of others
-
They walked single file, with the oldest boy in the lead. [=with the oldest boy at the front of the line]
-
You take the lead [=go first] and we'll follow right behind you.
b
:
a position that is ahead of others in a race or competition
— often used figuratively
-
A runner from Kenya is in the lead in the race. [=is leading the race]
-
A runner from Kenya has/holds the lead.
-
Her car has taken/gained the lead. = Her car has gone to/into the lead.
-
He was trailing in the polls last week, but now he has regained the lead.
-
Their company has taken the lead in developing this new technology.
2
[count]
:
the amount or distance by which someone or something is ahead in a race or competition
— usually singular
-
Her car had a lead of 12 seconds over the next one.
-
They had a lead of 20 points. = They had a 20-point lead.
-
a narrow/slim lead
-
Our candidate has established a comfortable/commanding lead in the opinion polls.
3
[count]
:
a piece of information that could help produce a desired result
-
I'm a good salesman, but I need more leads. [=names of potential customers]
especially
:
a piece of information that might help in solving a crime
-
The police have no leads in the case.
-
Investigators are working on several leads.
4
[count]
a
:
the main role in a movie or play
-
Her big break came when she got/played the lead in a major Hollywood movie.
-
He played the lead opposite Bette Davis [=he starred with Bette Davis] in two films.
-
She got the lead role.
also
:
someone who plays the main role in movie or play
-
She was the romantic lead in a major Hollywood movie.
-
Who will be the male/female lead in his next film?
b
:
the main performer in a group
— usually used before another noun
-
He sang/played lead [=sang/played as the main performer] in the band.
-
the lead singer/guitarist
5
[count]
a
:
the beginning part of a news story
-
You should edit the lead so that it will grab the audience's attention.
b
:
the most important news story in a newspaper or broadcast
-
The story of his arrest was the lead in newspapers across the country.
-
His arrest was the lead story [=the first and most important story] on the evening news.
6
[count]
baseball
:
a position taken by a runner at a distance from a base before a pitch is thrown
-
The runner on first took a big lead. [=moved several steps toward second base]
-
The runner had a large lead off second base. [=stood several steps away from second base in the space between second and third base]
7
8
[count]
chiefly British
:
a wire that carries electricity from a source to an electrical device (such as a lamp or radio)
:
an electrical cord
follow someone's lead
:
to do the same thing that someone else has done
-
He followed her lead and voted in favor of the proposal.
—
compare 3lead
plural
leads
plural
leads
Britannica Dictionary definition of LEAD
1
[noncount]
:
a heavy and soft metal that has a gray color
— often used before another noun
-
a pipe made of lead
-
a lead pipe
-
lead crystal [=glass made with lead in it]
-
lead poisoning [=poisoning from eating, drinking, or touching something with lead in it]
-
lead-free gasoline [=gasoline that does not contain lead]
2
:
a thin stick of dark material used in pencils to make marks
[noncount]
-
a pencil with black lead
-
a lead pencil
[count]
-
pencils with broken leads
3
[noncount]
chiefly US, informal
:
bullets
-
They shot him full of lead.
get the lead out
US, informal
:
to begin going or moving more quickly
-
Get the lead out! If we don't leave in five minutes we'll be late for the movie!
go over/down like a lead balloon
—
compare 2lead
