lead up to

British  

/ liːd /

verb

1. to act as a preliminary or introduction to

2. to approach (a topic) gradually or cautiously

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lead up to Idioms  

1. Prepare gradually for, result in gradually, as in These events clearly led up to the coup, or His remarks led up to the main point of the speech, that he was going to resign next year. [Mid-1800s]

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Example Sentences

The lead up to Eid has seen a month of community activity, including free daily iftar meals and support for hospital patients and families.

From BBC

"We always find that the lead up to these days are worse, because you see everything on socials, you get the emails, you see the adverts about the occasion coming up," she said.

From BBC

That result during the critical lead up to Christmas led the maker of Barbie dolls and Hot Wheels cars to post sales and profit below Wall Street expectations in the fourth quarter.

From The Wall Street Journal

"There will also need to be training on all relevant aspects of the research protocol, including preparatory work in the lead up to a young person being considered eligible for puberty blockers."

From BBC

In 1945, he served in the Pacific in the lead up to Japan's surrender.

From BBC