Synonyms

lead-off

American

[leed-awf, -of] / ˈlidˌɔf, -ˌɒf /

adjective

leading off or beginning.

the lead-off item on the agenda.

lead off British

/ liːd /

verb

to initiate the action of (something); begin

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

an initial move or action
a person or thing that begins something

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

lead off Idioms

Begin, start, go first. For example, We have a panel of three speakers, so will you lead off? [c. 1800]

Etymology

Origin of lead-off

First recorded in 1885–90; adj. use of verb phrase lead off

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.

The Dodgers needed just three batters to give the right-hander the lead with Shohei Ohtani drawing a lead-off walk, then scoring on Freddie Freeman’s one-out double into the right-field corner.

From Los Angeles Times

The junior center fielder and lead-off batter has come on strong, batting .426 with a team high 11 home runs on a team filled with pro prospects.

From Los Angeles Times

Pinch hitter Taylor Stpehens worked a lead-off walk and came around to score on Kaitlyn Terry’s one-out triple.

From Los Angeles Times

“A lead-off walk, that never ends well,” Miller said.

From Seattle Times

The 19-year-old Pan swam the fastest 100 in history with a time of 46.80 seconds in the lead-off leg of China’s gold medal-winning 4×100 relay team.

From Seattle Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023