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lead on

British  
/ liːd /

verb

  1. (tr, adverb) to lure or entice, esp into trouble or wrongdoing

"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 on Idioms  

  1. Entice someone into proceeding, mislead; also, deceive someone, especially pretending romantic interest. For example, He's leading her on to reveal more of her family history, or She's just leading him on; she has a serious boyfriend at home. [Late 1500s]

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.

When Boston went to work on a new album, “Life, Love & Hope,” featuring vocals from Delp and others, DeCarlo sang lead on the title track and contributed to others.

From The Wall Street Journal

Southend-on-Sea City Council leader Daniel Cowan, who led on the five district proposal, said his team could draw on almost "thirty years" of already being a unitary authority.

From BBC

But Bryan Simpson, Unite's national lead on hospitality, condemned the move.

From BBC

Other days, they would have a good lead on a new material only to find out it couldn’t be manufactured to scale.

From The Wall Street Journal

The Education Authority said it had been informed of the probable case and the PHA were leading on the response.

From BBC

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.