leader

American  

[lee-der] / ˈli dər /

noun

• leaders
  plural

1. a person or thing that leads.

2. a guiding or directing head, as of an army, movement, or political group.

3. Music.

   1. a conductor or director, as of an orchestra, band, or chorus.

   2. the player at the head of the first violins in an orchestra, the principal cornetist in a band, or the principal soprano in a chorus, to whom any incidental solos are usually assigned.

4. a featured article of trade, especially one offered at a low price to attract customers.

5. Journalism.

   1. leading article.

   2. Also called leading article.  British. the principal editorial in a newspaper.

6. blank film or tape at the beginning of a length of film or magnetic tape, used for threading a motion-picture camera, tape recorder, etc.

7. Angling.

   1. a length of nylon, silkworm gut, wire, or the like, to which the lure or hook is attached.

   2. the net used to direct fish into a weir, pound, etc.

8. a pipe for conveying rainwater downward, as from a roof; downspout.

9. a horse harnessed at the front of a team.

10. Printing. leaders, a row of dots or a short line to lead the eye across a space.

11. Nautical. lead.

12. a duct for conveying warm air from a hot-air furnace to a register or stack.

13. Mining. a thin vein of ore connected with a large vein.

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leader British  

/ ˈliːdə /

noun

1. a person who rules, guides, or inspires others; head

2. music

   1. Also called (esp US and Canadian): concertmaster.  the principal first violinist of an orchestra, who plays solo parts, and acts as the conductor's deputy and spokesman for the orchestra

   2. a conductor or director of an orchestra or chorus

3. 1. the first man on a climbing rope

   2. the leading horse or dog in a team

4. an article offered at a sufficiently low price to attract customers See also loss leader

5. a statistic or index that gives an advance indication of the state of the economy

6. Also called: leading article.  the leading editorial in a newspaper

7. angling another word for trace 2 cast

8. nautical another term for fairlead

9. a strip of blank film or tape used to facilitate threading a projector, developing machine, etc, and to aid identification

10. (plural) printing rows of dots or hyphens used to guide the reader's eye across a page, as in a table of contents

11. botany any of the long slender shoots that grow from the stem or branch of a tree: usually removed during pruning

12. a member of the Government having primary authority in initiating legislative business (esp in the phrases Leader of the House of Commons and Leader of the House of Lords )

13. the senior barrister, usually a Queen's Counsel, in charge of the conduct of a case Compare junior

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• subleader
  noun
• leaderless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• leaders
  plural

Etymology

Origin of leader

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English leder(e); see lead ¹, -er ¹

Explanation

A leader is the one in the charge, the person who convinces other people to follow. A great leader inspires confidence in other people and moves them to action. A leader is the head guy or gal, the one running the show. The leader of the band calls the shots and sets the tempo for the music. A conductor is the leader of an orchestra; all musicians look to him or her to know when to begin and end playing their instruments. A president is the leader of a country whose decisions make a difference to the whole population. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a leader of the Civil Rights Movement. A leader comes first in line — in a parade or a social system — and gets a lot of attention, but ultimately, a leader needs followers.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

leader leaders

In another, “Mao’s Guilt,” the late Chinese leader kneels with his hand over his heart, seemingly in a display of penance.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

The pioneering Americana group, founded four decades ago, offers a genre-hopping record that reflects on life, youth and leader Gary Louris’s romantic story.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

Democratic Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer wrote simply: "Rest in peace, Dolly Parton -- a true legend and force for good. May her memory be a blessing."

From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026

One Jewish leader suggested Bonta was in cahoots with Ruffalo.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026

Our fearless leader is Major Thomas Tooth—who knew?

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

He ordered American flags across the US to be lowered in her memory - a rare honour that is mostly reserved for elected leaders and other officials in the US government.

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

According to Human Rights Watch, "several penal code provisions, as well as the cybercrime law, criminalise speech deemed insulting to religion, the emir or foreign leaders".

From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026

Lindsay: As leaders embed artificial intelligence into the workplace, they are realizing that the technology only knows as much as the data it can access.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham says he plans to travel to the US next month with European leaders to lobby US President Trump on Ukraine's defence needs.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

This alarmed the Nazi leaders, who worried that the damages would bankrupt the German insurance companies.

From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

Related Words

• chief
• commander
• director
• head
• manager
• officer
• ruler