lead up to

British  

/ liːd /

verb

1. to act as a preliminary or introduction to

2. to approach (a topic) gradually or cautiously

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lead up to Idioms  

1. Prepare gradually for, result in gradually, as in These events clearly led up to the coup, or His remarks led up to the main point of the speech, that he was going to resign next year. [Mid-1800s]

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Example Sentences

"There will also need to be training on all relevant aspects of the research protocol, including preparatory work in the lead up to a young person being considered eligible for puberty blockers."

From BBC • Feb. 10, 2026

That result during the critical lead up to Christmas led the maker of Barbie dolls and Hot Wheels cars to post sales and profit below Wall Street expectations in the fourth quarter.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 10, 2026

In the lead up to the Super Bowl, boosters of traditional sportsbooks have been denigrating prediction markets.

From Barron's • Feb. 6, 2026

We’ve seen this a lot with the lead up to the ICE crackdowns, for example.

From Salon • Jan. 20, 2026

It was the events that would lead up to it that she couldn’t bear to consider.

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman