lead-up

[ leed-uhp ]

/ ˈlidˌʌp /

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noun

something that provides an approach to or preparation for an event or situation.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

Origin of lead-up

1950–55; noun use of verb phrase lead up (to)

My show follows the journey in the lead up to my first live shows that I performed in Scotland in the summer of 2013.
Exclusive: My Secret Struggle with Asperger's, By Susan Boyle|Susan Boyle|April 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Polk Correctional Facility in Sanford, Florida—the same jail in which he was held during some of the lead-up to his July trial.
How George Zimmerman Ended Up Behind Bars Again|Jacqui Goddard|November 18, 2013|DAILY BEAST
And in the lead-up to election night, some rebels even declared their preference for Republican challenger Mitt Romney.
How the U.S. Election Helps Syria|Mike Giglio|November 7, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Even in the lead-up to Illinois, local party leaders are finding it hard to muster enthusiasm for Mitt.
Fed-Up Press Ready to Call the Republican Race, But the Math Matters|John Avlon|March 20, 2012|DAILY BEAST

In the lead up to this day, each student lists, in order of preference, the residency program that he or she would like to attend.
On Match Day, the Nation’s Medical Students Discover Their Residencies|Casey Schwartz|March 17, 2012|DAILY BEAST
But—and I forbear to lead up to it artistically—I dissever myself from your chariot wheels.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
On the outside, two small flights of steps, forming a semicircle, lead up to the top.
A Woman's Journey Round the World|Ida Pfeiffer
Magnificent rows of steps, built of colossal stones, lead up to the houses and palaces, and artistically built gateways.
A Woman's Journey Round the World|Ida Pfeiffer
In exposition and argument it is better to lead up to an unwelcome truth than to announce it at once.
English: Composition and Literature|W. F. (William Franklin) Webster
Petros proposed to lead up the whole nation, duly armed, and to occupy this Gawar-Ushnu area.
The Cradle of Mankind|W.A. Wigram