lead

¹

[ leed ]

verb (used with object)

, led, lead·ing.

1. to go before or with to show the way; conduct or escort:

   to lead a group on a cross-country hike.

   Synonyms: precede, guide, accompany

   Antonyms: follow

2. to conduct by holding and guiding:

   to lead a horse by a rope.

3. to influence or induce; cause:

   Subsequent events led him to reconsider his position.

   Synonyms: convince, persuade

4. to guide in direction, course, action, opinion, etc.; bring:

   You can lead her around to your point of view if you are persistent.

5. to conduct or bring (water, wire, etc.) in a particular course.
6. (of a road, passage, etc.) to serve to bring (a person) to a place:

   The first street on the left will lead you to Andrews Place.

7. to take or bring:

   The prisoners were led into the warden's office.

8. to command or direct (an army or other large organization):

   He led the Allied forces during the war.

9. to go at the head of or in advance of (a procession, list, body, etc.); proceed first in:

   The mayor will lead the parade.

10. to be superior to; have the advantage over:

    The first baseman leads his teammates in runs batted in.

    Synonyms: surpass, outstrip, excel

11. to have top position or first place in:

    Iowa leads the nation in corn production.

12. to have the directing or principal part in:

    The minister will now lead us in prayer. He led a peace movement.

13. to act as leader of (an orchestra, band, etc.); conduct.
14. to go through or pass (time, life, etc.):

    to lead a full life.

15. Cards. to begin a round, game, etc., with (a card or suit specified).
16. to aim and fire a firearm or cannon ahead of (a moving target) in order to allow for the travel of the target while the bullet or shell is reaching it.
17. Football. to throw a lead pass to (an intended receiver):

    The quarterback led the left end.

verb (used without object)

, led, lead·ing.

1. to act as a guide; show the way:

   You lead and we'll follow.

2. to afford passage to a place:

   That path leads directly to the house.

3. to go first; be in advance:

   The band will lead and the troops will follow.

4. to result in; tend toward (usually followed by to ):

   The incident led to his resignation. One remark often leads to another.

5. to take the directing or principal part.
6. to take the offensive:

   The contender led with a right to the body.

7. Cards. to make the first play.
8. to be led or submit to being led, as a horse:

   A properly trained horse will lead easily.

9. Baseball. (of a base runner) to leave a base before the delivery of a pitch in order to reach the next base more quickly (often followed by away ).
10. lead back, to play (a card) from a suit that one's partner led.

noun

1. the first or foremost place; position in advance of others:

   He took the lead in the race.

   Synonyms: vanguard, head

2. the extent of such an advance position:

   He had a lead of four lengths.

3. a person or thing that leads.
4. a leash.
5. a suggestion or piece of information that helps to direct or guide; tip; clue:

   I got a lead on a new job. The phone list provided some great sales leads.

6. a guide or indication of a road, course, method, etc., to follow.
7. precedence; example; leadership:

   They followed the lead of the capital in their fashions.

8. Theater.
   1. the principal part in a play.
   2. the person who plays it.
9. Cards.
   1. the act or right of playing first, as in a round.
   2. the card, suit, etc., so played.
10. Journalism. lede ( def ).
11. Electricity. an often flexible and insulated single conductor, as a wire, used in connections between pieces of electric apparatus.
12. the act of taking the offensive.
13. Nautical.
    1. the direction of a rope, wire, or chain.
    2. Also called leader. any of various devices for guiding a running rope.
14. Naval Architecture. the distance between the center of lateral resistance and the center of effort of a sailing ship, usually expressed decimally as a fraction of the water-line length.
15. an open channel through a field of ice.
16. Mining.
    1. a lode.
    2. an auriferous deposit in an old riverbed.
17. the act of aiming a gun ahead of a moving target.
18. the distance ahead of a moving target that a gun must be aimed in order to score a direct hit.
19. Baseball. an act or instance of leading.
20. Manège. (of a horse at a canter or gallop) the foreleg that consistently extends beyond and strikes the ground ahead of the other foreleg:

    The horse is cantering on the left lead.

adjective

1. most important; principal; leading; first:

   lead editorial;

   lead elephant;

   lead designer.

2. Football. (of a forward pass) thrown ahead of the intended receiver so as to allow him to catch it while running.
3. Baseball. (of a base runner) nearest to scoring:

   They forced the lead runner at third base on an attempted sacrifice.

verb phrase

1. 1. to take the initiative; begin.
   2. Baseball. to be the first player in the batting order or the first batter in an inning.
2. 1. to make a beginning.
   2. to escort a partner to begin a dance:

      He led her out and they began a rumba.

3. 1. to induce to follow an unwise course of action; mislead.
   2. to cause or encourage to believe something that is not true.

lead

²

[ led ]

noun

1. Chemistry. a heavy, comparatively soft, malleable, bluish-gray metal, sometimes found in its natural state but usually combined as a sulfide, especially in galena. : Pb; : 207.19; : 82; : 11.34 at 20°C.
2. something made of this metal or of one of its alloys.
3. a plummet or mass of lead suspended by a line, as for taking soundings.

   Synonyms: plumb, weight

4. bullets collectively; shot.
5. black lead or graphite.
6. a small stick of graphite, as used in pencils.
7. Also Printing. a thin strip of type metal or brass less than type-high, used for increasing the space between lines of type.
8. a grooved bar of lead or came in which sections of glass are set, as in stained-glass windows.
9. leads, British. a roof, especially one that is shallow or flat, covered with lead.
10. white lead.

verb (used with object)

1. to cover, line, weight, treat, or impregnate with lead or one of its compounds.
2. Printing. to insert leads between the lines of.
3. to fix (window glass) in position with leads.

adjective

1. made of or containing lead:

   a lead pipe; a lead compound.

lead

¹

/ liːd /

verb

1. to show the way to (an individual or a group) by going with or ahead

   lead the party into the garden

2. to guide or be guided by holding, pulling, etc

   he led the horse by its reins

3. tr to cause to act, feel, think, or behave in a certain way; induce; influence

   he led me to believe that he would go

4. tr to phrase a question to (a witness) that tends to suggest the desired answer
5. whenintr, foll by to (of a road, route, etc) to serve as the means of reaching a place
6. tr to go ahead so as to indicate (esp in the phrase lead the way )
7. to guide, control, or direct

   to lead an army

8. tr to direct the course of or conduct (water, a rope or wire, etc) along or as if along a channel
9. to initiate the action of (something); have the principal part in (something)

   to lead a discussion

10. to go at the head of or have the top position in (something)

    he leads his class in geography

11. intrfoll bywith to have as the first or principal item

    the newspaper led with the royal birth

12. music
    1. to play first violin in (an orchestra)
    2. intr (of an instrument or voice) to be assigned an important entry in a piece of music
13. to direct and guide (one's partner) in a dance
14. tr
    1. to pass or spend

       I lead a miserable life

    2. to cause to pass a life of a particular kind

       to lead a person a dog's life

15. intrfoll byto to tend (to) or result (in)

    this will only lead to misery

16. to initiate a round of cards by putting down (the first card) or to have the right to do this

    she led a diamond

17. tr to aim at a point in front of (a moving target) in shooting, etc, in order to allow for the time of flight
18. intr boxing to make an offensive blow, esp as one's habitual attacking punch

    southpaws lead with their right

19. lead astray
    to mislead so as to cause error or wrongdoing
20. lead by the nose
    See nose

noun

1. 1. the first, foremost, or most prominent place
   2. ( as modifier )

      lead singer

2. example, precedence, or leadership

   the class followed the teacher's lead

3. an advance or advantage held over others

   the runner had a lead of twenty yards

4. anything that guides or directs; indication; clue
5. another name for leash
6. the act or prerogative of playing the first card in a round of cards or the card so played
7. the principal role in a play, film, etc, or the person playing such a role
8. 1. the principal news story in a newspaper

      the scandal was the lead in the papers

   2. the opening paragraph of a news story
   3. ( as modifier )

      lead story

9. music an important entry assigned to one part usually at the beginning of a movement or section
10. a wire, cable, or other conductor for making an electrical connection
11. boxing
    1. one's habitual attacking punch
    2. a blow made with this
12. nautical the direction in which a rope runs
13. a deposit of metal or ore; lode
14. the firing of a gun, missile, etc, ahead of a moving target to correct for the time of flight of the projectile

lead

²

/ lɛd /

noun

1. a heavy toxic bluish-white metallic element that is highly malleable: occurs principally as galena and used in alloys, accumulators, cable sheaths, paints, and as a radiation shield. Symbol: Pb; atomic no: 82; atomic wt: 207.2; valency: 2 or 4; relative density: 11.35; melting pt: 327.502°C; boiling pt: 1750°C plumbicplumbeousplumbous
2. a lead weight suspended on a line used to take soundings of the depth of water
3. swing the lead
   to malinger or make up excuses
4. lead weights or shot, as used in cartridges, fishing lines, etc
5. a thin grooved strip of lead for holding small panes of glass or pieces of stained glass
6. plural
   1. thin sheets or strips of lead used as a roof covering
   2. a flat or low-pitched roof covered with such sheets
7. printing a thin strip of type metal used for spacing between lines of hot-metal type Compare reglet
8. 1. graphite or a mixture containing graphite, clay, etc, used for drawing
   2. a thin stick of this material, esp the core of a pencil
9. modifier of, consisting of, relating to, or containing lead
10. go down like a lead balloon
    See balloon

verb

1. to fill or treat with lead
2. to surround, cover, or secure with lead or leads
3. printing to space (type) by use of leads

lead

/ lĕd /

1. A soft, ductile, heavy, bluish-gray metallic element that is extracted chiefly from galena. It is very durable and resistant to corrosion and is a poor conductor of electricity. Lead is used to make radiation shielding and containers for corrosive substances. It was once commonly used in pipes, solder, roofing, paint, and antiknock compounds in gasoline, but its use in these products has been curtailed because of its toxicity. Atomic number 82; atomic weight 207.2; melting point 327.5°C; boiling point 1,744°C; specific gravity 11.35; valence 2, 4.
2. See Periodic Table See Note at element

Derived Forms

• ˈleadless, adjective
• ˈleady, adjective

Other Words From

• leadless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of lead¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English leden “to conduct, accompany; bring, take; guide,” Old English lǣdan (causative of līthan “to go by sea, sail, travel”); cognate with Dutch leiden, German leiten, Old Norse leitha

Origin of lead²

First recorded before 900; Middle English led(e), lead, leid, Old English lēad; cognate with Dutch lood, Old Frisian lād “lead,” German Lot “plumb bob, plummet”

Word History and Origins

Origin of lead¹

Old English lǣdan; related to līthan to travel, Old High German līdan to go

Origin of lead²

Old English; related to Dutch lood, German Lot

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. get the lead out, Slang. to move or work faster; hurry up.
2. go over like a lead balloon, Slang. to fail to arouse interest, enthusiasm, or support.
3. heave the lead, Nautical. to take a sounding with a lead.
4. lead someone a chase / dance, to cause someone difficulty by forcing to do irksome or unnecessary things.
5. lead up to,
   1. to prepare the way for.
   2. to approach (a subject, disclosure, etc.) gradually or evasively:

      I could tell by her allusions that she was leading up to something.

6. lead the way. way ¹( def 34 ).

More idioms and phrases containing lead

• all roads lead to Rome
• blind leading the blind
• get the lead out of
• go over (like a lead balloon)
• put lead in one's pencil
• you can lead a horse to water

Example Sentences

I think that’s always the leading metric for us — the emotional connection.

From Los Angeles Times

Gaetz graduated from William & Mary Law School but otherwise has no experience that would suggest he’s qualified to lead the Department of Justice.

From Salon

We need a strong relationship with the United States irrespective of who leads the country.

From BBC

A Swedish minister's phobia of bananas has reportedly led to government officials asking for rooms to be free of the fruit.

From BBC

When Tanton blended ecology with eugenics and immigration, he was digging up the two-century-old principles of Thomas Malthus, who first theorized that human population growth would lead to poverty and suffering.

From Salon

Related Words

• affect
• conduce
• encourage
• excite
• galvanize
• guide
• hearten
• incline
• induce
• influence
• inspire
• instill
• introduce
• motivate
• move
• persuade
• prevail
• prompt
• spark
• spur

When To Use

What are other ways to say lead?

To lead is to go before or to show the way. How is lead different from the verbs conduct, direct, and guide? Find out on Thesaurus.com.