- a variation of lede.
lead
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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to go before or with to show the way; conduct or escort.
to lead a group on a cross-country hike.
- Antonyms:
- follow
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to conduct by holding and guiding.
to lead a horse by a rope.
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to influence or induce; cause.
Subsequent events led him to reconsider his position.
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to guide in direction, course, action, opinion, etc.; bring.
You can lead her around to your point of view if you are persistent.
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to conduct or bring (water, wire, etc.) in a particular course.
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(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.
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to take or bring.
The prisoners were led into the warden's office.
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to command or direct (an army or other large organization).
He led the Allied forces during the war.
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to go at the head of or in advance of (a procession, list, body, etc.); proceed first in.
The mayor will lead the parade.
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to be superior to; have the advantage over.
The first baseman leads his teammates in runs batted in.
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to have top position or first place in.
Iowa leads the nation in corn production.
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to have the directing or principal part in.
The minister will now lead us in prayer. He led a peace movement.
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to act as leader of (an orchestra, band, etc.); conduct.
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to go through or pass (time, life, etc.).
to lead a full life.
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Cards. to begin a round, game, etc., with (a card or suit specified).
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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.
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Football. to throw a lead pass to (an intended receiver).
The quarterback led the left end.
verb (used without object)
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to act as a guide; show the way.
You lead and we'll follow.
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to afford passage to a place.
That path leads directly to the house.
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to go first; be in advance.
The band will lead and the troops will follow.
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to result in; tend toward (usually followed byto ).
The incident led to his resignation. One remark often leads to another.
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to take the directing or principal part.
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to take the offensive.
The contender led with a right to the body.
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Cards. to make the first play.
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to be led or submit to being led, as a horse.
A properly trained horse will lead easily.
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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 byaway ).
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lead back, to play (a card) from a suit that one's partner led.
noun
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the first or foremost place; position in advance of others.
He took the lead in the race.
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the extent of such an advance position.
He had a lead of four lengths.
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a person or thing that leads.
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a leash.
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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.
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a guide or indication of a road, course, method, etc., to follow.
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precedence; example; leadership.
They followed the lead of the capital in their fashions.
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Theater.
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the principal part in a play.
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the person who plays it.
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Cards.
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the act or right of playing first, as in a round.
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the card, suit, etc., so played.
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Journalism. lede.
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Electricity. an often flexible and insulated single conductor, as a wire, used in connections between pieces of electric apparatus.
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the act of taking the offensive.
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Nautical.
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the direction of a rope, wire, or chain.
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Also called leader. any of various devices for guiding a running rope.
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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.
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an open channel through a field of ice.
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Mining.
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a lode.
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an auriferous deposit in an old riverbed.
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the act of aiming a gun ahead of a moving target.
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the distance ahead of a moving target that a gun must be aimed in order to score a direct hit.
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Baseball. an act or instance of leading.
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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
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most important; principal; leading; first.
lead editorial;
lead elephant;
lead designer.
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Football. (of a forward pass) thrown ahead of the intended receiver so as to allow him to catch it while running.
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Baseball. (of a base runner) nearest to scoring.
They forced the lead runner at third base on an attempted sacrifice.
verb phrase
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lead off
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to take the initiative; begin.
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Baseball. to be the first player in the batting order or the first batter in an inning.
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lead out
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to make a beginning.
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to escort a partner to begin a dance.
He led her out and they began a rumba.
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lead on
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to induce to follow an unwise course of action; mislead.
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to cause or encourage to believe something that is not true.
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idioms
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lead the way. way.
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lead up to,
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to prepare the way for.
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to approach (a subject, disclosure, etc.) gradually or evasively.
I could tell by her allusions that she was leading up to something.
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lead someone a chase / dance, to cause someone difficulty by forcing to do irksome or unnecessary things.
noun
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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.
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something made of this metal or of one of its alloys.
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a plummet or mass of lead suspended by a line, as for taking soundings.
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bullets collectively; shot.
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black lead or graphite.
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a small stick of graphite, as used in pencils.
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Printing. Also a thin strip of type metal or brass less than type-high, used for increasing the space between lines of type.
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a grooved bar of lead or came in which sections of glass are set, as in stained-glass windows.
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British. leads, a roof, especially one that is shallow or flat, covered with lead.
verb (used with object)
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to cover, line, weight, treat, or impregnate with lead or one of its compounds.
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Printing. to insert leads between the lines of.
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to fix (window glass) in position with leads.
adjective
idioms
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heave the lead, to take a sounding with a lead.
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go over like a lead balloon, to fail to arouse interest, enthusiasm, or support.
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get the lead out, to move or work faster; hurry up.
verb
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to show the way to (an individual or a group) by going with or ahead
lead the party into the garden
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to guide or be guided by holding, pulling, etc
he led the horse by its reins
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(tr) to cause to act, feel, think, or behave in a certain way; induce; influence
he led me to believe that he would go
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(tr) to phrase a question to (a witness) that tends to suggest the desired answer
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(of a road, route, etc) to serve as the means of reaching a place
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(tr) to go ahead so as to indicate (esp in the phrase lead the way )
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to guide, control, or direct
to lead an army
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(tr) to direct the course of or conduct (water, a rope or wire, etc) along or as if along a channel
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to initiate the action of (something); have the principal part in (something)
to lead a discussion
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to go at the head of or have the top position in (something)
he leads his class in geography
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to have as the first or principal item
the newspaper led with the royal birth
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music
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to play first violin in (an orchestra)
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(intr) (of an instrument or voice) to be assigned an important entry in a piece of music
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to direct and guide (one's partner) in a dance
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(tr)
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to pass or spend
I lead a miserable life
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to cause to pass a life of a particular kind
to lead a person a dog's life
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to tend (to) or result (in)
this will only lead to misery
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to initiate a round of cards by putting down (the first card) or to have the right to do this
she led a diamond
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(tr) to aim at a point in front of (a moving target) in shooting, etc, in order to allow for the time of flight
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(intr) boxing to make an offensive blow, esp as one's habitual attacking punch
southpaws lead with their right
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to mislead so as to cause error or wrongdoing
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See nose
noun
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the first, foremost, or most prominent place
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( as modifier )
lead singer
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example, precedence, or leadership
the class followed the teacher's lead
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an advance or advantage held over others
the runner had a lead of twenty yards
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anything that guides or directs; indication; clue
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another name for leash
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the act or prerogative of playing the first card in a round of cards or the card so played
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the principal role in a play, film, etc, or the person playing such a role
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the principal news story in a newspaper
the scandal was the lead in the papers
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the opening paragraph of a news story
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( as modifier )
lead story
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music an important entry assigned to one part usually at the beginning of a movement or section
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a wire, cable, or other conductor for making an electrical connection
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boxing
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one's habitual attacking punch
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a blow made with this
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nautical the direction in which a rope runs
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a deposit of metal or ore; lode
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the firing of a gun, missile, etc, ahead of a moving target to correct for the time of flight of the projectile
noun
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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
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a lead weight suspended on a line used to take soundings of the depth of water
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to malinger or make up excuses
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lead weights or shot, as used in cartridges, fishing lines, etc
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a thin grooved strip of lead for holding small panes of glass or pieces of stained glass
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(plural)
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thin sheets or strips of lead used as a roof covering
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a flat or low-pitched roof covered with such sheets
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printing a thin strip of type metal used for spacing between lines of hot-metal type Compare reglet
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graphite or a mixture containing graphite, clay, etc, used for drawing
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a thin stick of this material, esp the core of a pencil
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(modifier) of, consisting of, relating to, or containing lead
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See balloon
verb
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to fill or treat with lead
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to surround, cover, or secure with lead or leads
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printing to space (type) by use of leads
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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.
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See Periodic Table See Note at element
Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
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”
Explanation
To lead means to go in front, or to serve as the leader of a group. If you’re on a group hiking trip and the navigator lost the map, you’ll want someone with a good sense of direction to lead the group back to the car. If you have done excellent, groundbreaking research into cancer treatment, someone might say you lead the field in finding a cure for cancer. If we say a football team has a strong lead, that means that they’re on the way to winning a game. If you are a detective and you discover a room full of evidence on a case, that might lead to its solution.
Vocabulary lists containing lead
Black and Gray
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Journalism
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Theater - Introductory
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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:
Because of massive taxpayer and private philanthropic subsidies, market signals that lead to needed collegiate resource reallocation are weakened, but they are still present and beginning to work.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
They suffered another self-inflicted defeat as poor play-calling and execution cost them the lead at the Denver Broncos.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
Talking to the BBC over the weekend, Microsoft president Brad Smith said the UK was best placed to lead on testing artificial intelligence models.
From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026
In the 1920s, lead paint was used, which must be stripped away.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
I grab a spare log, dash, and see Belle’s lead rein, instead of drooping, twisted around the tree.
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
North American ticket sales for “Other Mommy,” the new horror movie from Universal Pictures, leading the domestic box office despite poor reviews by both theatergoers and critics.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
Unsurprisingly, the four leading wicket-takers in day-night matches are all Australians.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
“Eventually, Mr. Seaver’s residence had a no-trespassing sign in the front yard and barbed wire draped across the handrails leading to the front door,” the filing alleged.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026
Collins highlighted the legislation she’s gotten passed and the federal funding she secured for projects in Maine from her powerful position leading the Senate Appropriations Committee.
From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2026
After a while I tried to encourage her to come away, leading her by the trunk, by the ear, imitating Karli’s clicking noises, which I knew she responded to, trying to get her to move.
From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo
Germany’s DAX was up 0.4%, led by Commerzbank and Deutsche Bank, which were up 1.6% and 1.4%, respectively.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
A spate of heists at French museums -- including at the Louvre -- has highlighted inadequate security in some cases and led to questions about whether criminal gangs see them as soft targets.
From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026
Going into 2026, Alcaraz led the rankings with 12,050 points, closely followed by Sinner on 11,500.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
That idea led him to explore the use of plasma technology, a field he has studied for more than 20 years.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2026
“Deuteronomy Thirty-Two Ten. ‘He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.’”
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
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.
