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Showing results for leading. Search instead for unleading.
Synonyms

leading

1 American  
[lee-ding] / ˈli dɪŋ /

adjective

  1. chief; principal; most important; foremost.

    a leading toy manufacturer.

  2. coming in advance of others; first.

    We rode in the leading car.

  3. directing, guiding.

    Synonyms:
    ruling

noun

  1. the act of a person or thing that leads.

leading 2 American  
[led-ing] / ˈlɛd ɪŋ /

noun

  1. a covering or framing of lead.

    the leading of a stained-glass window.

  2. Printing. lead.

leading 1 British  
/ ˈliːdɪŋ /

adjective

  1. guiding, directing, or influencing

  2. (prenominal) principal or primary

  3. in the first position

    the leading car in the procession

  4. maths (of a coefficient) associated with the term of highest degree in a polynomial containing one variable

    in 5x² + 2x + 3, 5 is the leading coefficient
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
leading 2 British  
/ ˈlɛdɪŋ /

noun

  1. Also called: interlinear spacing.  printing the spacing between lines of photocomposed or digitized type

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • leadingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of leading1

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English (noun); lead 1 ( def. ) + -ing 2 ( def. ) for the adjective senses; lead 1 ( def. ) + -ing 1 ( def. ) for the noun sense

Origin of leading2

First recorded in 1400–50; lead 2 + -ing 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Most credit for that change goes to Johny Srouji, Apple’s hardware technologies leader who is taking over and expanding Ternus’s present job leading hardware engineering.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 21, 2026

The trail leading to the top of Morro Dois Irmãos, popular for its views over Ipanema Beach, begins east of the neighbourhood.

From BBC • Apr. 20, 2026

TMZ on Thursday reported that she had been hospitalized in Los Angeles for undisclosed reasons, leading her friends and fans to extend messages of support.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 20, 2026

The victims' vehicle, which was leading an official convoy of five cars, skidded off the road and plunged into a ravine, he said.

From Barron's • Apr. 20, 2026

Oppenheimer was among the leading bankers to the subprime mortgage industry.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.