lead-up
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of lead-up
1950–55; noun use of verb phrase lead up ( to )
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.
It said there had been "unprecedented" average pay rises and financial incentives offered for "crunch" - a video game industry term for excessive, sometimes unpaid, overtime in the lead-up to a game's release.
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026
In the lead-up to the album’s release, Samuel posted photos and videos of himself as a young child.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026
Muscat served as the back channel for talks between the United States and Iran in the lead-up to the 2015 nuclear deal and mediated several rounds of talks during Trump's second term.
From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026
“Moths, gnats, and God knows what else,” he’d said in the lead-up.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026
Reggie had lied, several times, in the lead-up to his mission.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
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.
