leader

[ lee-der ]

noun

1. a person or thing that leads.
2. a guiding or directing head, as of an army, movement, or political group.
3. Music.
   1. a conductor or director, as of an orchestra, band, or chorus.
   2. the player at the head of the first violins in an orchestra, the principal cornetist in a band, or the principal soprano in a chorus, to whom any incidental solos are usually assigned.
4. a featured article of trade, especially one offered at a low price to attract customers. Compare loss leader.
5. Journalism.
   1. leading article ( def 1 ).
   2. Also called leading article. British. the principal editorial in a newspaper.
6. blank film or tape at the beginning of a length of film or magnetic tape, used for threading a motion-picture camera, tape recorder, etc. Compare trailer ( def 6 ).
7. Angling.
   1. a length of nylon, silkworm gut, wire, or the like, to which the lure or hook is attached.
   2. the net used to direct fish into a weir, pound, etc.
8. a pipe for conveying rainwater downward, as from a roof; downspout.
9. a horse harnessed at the front of a team.
10. leaders, Printing. a row of dots or a short line to lead the eye across a space.
11. Nautical. lead ¹( def 40b ).
12. a duct for conveying warm air from a hot-air furnace to a register or stack.
13. Mining. a thin vein of ore connected with a large vein.

leader

/ ˈliːdə /

noun

1. a person who rules, guides, or inspires others; head
2. music
   1. Also called (esp US and Canadian)concertmaster the principal first violinist of an orchestra, who plays solo parts, and acts as the conductor's deputy and spokesman for the orchestra
   2. a conductor or director of an orchestra or chorus
3. 1. the first man on a climbing rope
   2. the leading horse or dog in a team
4. See loss leader
   an article offered at a sufficiently low price to attract customers See also loss leader
5. a statistic or index that gives an advance indication of the state of the economy
6. Also calledleading article the leading editorial in a newspaper
7. See trace
   angling another word for trace 2 cast
8. See fairlead
   nautical another term for fairlead
9. a strip of blank film or tape used to facilitate threading a projector, developing machine, etc, and to aid identification
10. plural printing rows of dots or hyphens used to guide the reader's eye across a page, as in a table of contents
11. botany any of the long slender shoots that grow from the stem or branch of a tree: usually removed during pruning
12. a member of the Government having primary authority in initiating legislative business (esp in the phrases Leader of the House of Commons and Leader of the House of Lords )
13. See junior
    the senior barrister, usually a Queen's Counsel, in charge of the conduct of a case Compare junior

Derived Forms

• ˈleaderless, adjective

Other Words From

• leader·less adjective
• sub·leader noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of leader¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English leder(e); lead ¹, -er ¹

Example Sentences

Investors committing to the spirit of the legislation can provide capital to entrepreneurial leaders who need it badly.

From Fortune

What’s more, she argues that a good leader knows when to move on.

From Fortune

For Rakefet Russak-Aminoach, part of being a good leader is knowing when to leave.

From Fortune

What we haven’t had is a leader who has prioritized it as a matter of public policy.

From Ozy

I’ve made a lot of mistakes both on making business decisions and being a business leader.

From Fortune

Their leader, Njie, still going by “Dave” during the operation, would stay a safe distance away until the State House was secure.

From The Daily Beast

What it endangers is a narrow conception of Russian power, understood through the eyes of its dictatorial leader.

From The Daily Beast

It is the kind of compassion espoused by every world religion and every revered religious leader.

From The Daily Beast

He affected an anchorman finesse in apologizing for “past mistakes” as a Ku Klux Klan leader.

From The Daily Beast

The seedlings of his potential greatness as a leader are sprinkled throughout it.

From The Daily Beast

Dockier, a prominent leader of the Levelers, in the times of the English commonwealth, was shot by order of the government.

From Project Gutenberg

Every leader was killed, and every peaceful native whom the Spaniards met on their way was unmercifully treated.

From Project Gutenberg

A leader of soldiers has a right to know something at least of the enterprise upon which he leads them.

From Project Gutenberg

But in August, 1805, the approaching war with Austria caused the Emperor to summon his most brilliant cavalry leader to his side.

From Project Gutenberg

Scarce a day passed without some engagement in which the King of Naples showed his audacity and his talent as a leader.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• chief
• commander
• director
• head
• manager
• officer
• ruler