leadership
Americannoun
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leaderships
plural
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the position or function of a leader, a person who guides or directs a group.
He managed to maintain his leadership of the party despite heavy opposition.
- Synonyms:
- hegemony, stewardship, governorship, control, directorship, management, administration
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ability to lead.
As early as sixth grade she displayed remarkable leadership potential.
- Synonyms:
- clout, sway, effectiveness, command, influence, authoritativeness
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an act or instance of leading; guidance; direction.
They prospered under his strong leadership.
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the leaders of a group.
The union leadership agreed to arbitrate.
noun
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the position or function of a leader
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the period during which a person occupies the position of leader
during her leadership very little was achieved
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the ability to lead
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( as modifier )
leadership qualities
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the leaders as a group of a party, union, etc
the union leadership is now very reactionary
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of leadership
Explanation
Leadership is the action of leading a group of people. Or, the actual people who lead the group. If you think you have leadership skills, you better be able to rally the troops and get the job done. Leadership can be the act of leading, or a name for the group of people doing the leading. The House leadership, newly emboldened by election results, may set an ambitious agenda for the new session of Congress. Your own leadership skills may be called into question if your entire staff resigns and goes to work for your competitor.
Vocabulary lists containing leadership
"Speaking Up"
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"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 7
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"Speeches on the Little Rock Nine"
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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.
See Examples For:
“There’s a strategic impact because the fighters become disconnected from the leaders, from the ELN leadership in Colombia,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026
His decision not to seek the minority leadership clears the way for a contest between current House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Judiciary Committee chairman Jim Jordan.
From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2026
Long was appointed to the CFO role in October following a 2024 advisory committee recommendation that Super Micro bring in new financial leadership.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026
“It really started as a shared passion and interest in women’s sports and building communities and new leadership models and all the things that ‘Ted Lasso’ is about that are far beyond football.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2026
I try to hold it together, because leadership requires at least a pretense of grace under pressure.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
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Melania Trump said she had worked with the Russian and Ukrainian leaderships on the Oleshky plan, and that civilian leaders from both countries would "work together" and visit the devastated city to assess aid needs.
From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2026
While both groups have recruited new fighters to fill their ranks, their military leaderships are still in disarray, some of the people familiar with intelligence said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2025
“An effective U.S. deterrent threat must hold at risk what contemporary hostile leaderships value most, because they are the audience that must be deterred,” the report states.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 27, 2023
For ages, trades unions made various pay demands, often well in excess of 5%, which the leaderships of many unions are now saying is acceptable for the next financial year.
From BBC ● Mar. 16, 2023
They bore themselves with the air of leaderships; they had the port of philosophers, noblemen and kings.
From Anne Bradstreet and Her Time by Helen Campbell
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.