lead-up
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of lead-up
1950–55; noun use of verb phrase lead up ( to )
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.
"Designing and building these thrusters over the last couple of years has been a long lead-up to this first test," said James Polk, senior research scientist at JPL.
From Science Daily • May 6, 2026
The training of Marines, and the lead-up to their deployment, is outlined in the documents reviewed by The Times.
From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026
SpaceX and Anthropic are both reportedly heading for initial public offerings as soon as this year, and their private-market values have surged in the lead-up to those potential deals.
From MarketWatch • May 2, 2026
The Paris meeting was being in held in the lead-up to the UN's COP31 climate summit in Antalya, Turkey, in November.
From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026
Propeller research, for example, had been one of Langley’s most important lines of inquiry from its inception through the lead-up to the war.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
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.
