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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.

In fact, he’s now worries the company risks surrendering its lead on a few fronts.

From MarketWatch

County Parks and Salt Landscape Architects are set to take the lead on the work.

From Los Angeles Times

Belgian Thomas Detry claimed a share of the lead on his LIV debut.

From BBC

Negron sang lead on “One” and “Joy to the World,” among other tunes.

From Los Angeles Times

Turing has taken the lead on that challenge.

From Literature

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.