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lead time

American  
[leed] / lid /
Or lead-time

noun

  1. the period of time between the initial phase of a process and the emergence of results, as between the planning and completed manufacture of a product.

lead time British  
/ liːd /

noun

  1. manufacturing the time between the design of a product and its production

  2. commerce the time from the placing of an order to the delivery of the goods

"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

Etymology

Origin of lead time

An Americanism dating back to 1940–45

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.

He says he’s wary about his Somali clients getting a fair hearing, given the volume of cases that have been rescheduled and the abbreviated lead time for hearings.

From Slate • Mar. 27, 2026

LNG exporter Tellurian, noted that plants require specialized equipment with a long lead time, such as steel that can sustain cryogenic temperatures.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

“Our tracking shows continued shortening in lead time in all models and markets, with only a few exceptions,” he wrote on Monday.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 29, 2025

Saraiya said Koerner has helped identify roadblocks to progress — such as the typical lead time in lining up utility services — and the county is working to streamline the entire rebuilding process for everyone.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 4, 2025

“You have to give the doctors at least five months’ lead time.

From "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer

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.