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

McDonald’s remains the U.S. burger leader, generating roughly five times the domestic sales of Burger King, and wielding a billion-dollar ad budget.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

The new Labour leader has won praise for his fluent, natural style on camera, in contrast to Starmer's somewhat stiff delivery.

From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026

A Palestinian official told the BBC Trump's son-in-law met a delegation led by Hamas's new leader Khalil al-Hayya in Egypt on Sunday.

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

Newry-born O'Connor entered Saturday morning in third place after four events, just 42 points behind overnight leader Adrianna Sulek-Schubert, and her personal best form continued in the long jump with a leap of 6.55m.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

The leader kept his eyes forward, constantly searching for bad weather or airships, but the sky was clear of any trouble.

From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown

Iran’s hard-line leaders huddled in Tehran and came up with a different plan, according to Iranian and Arab officials.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

Great Britain's women's team marathon triumph delivered the nation's seventh overall gold at the championships, leaving them one shy of leaders Italy going into the final evening of action.

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

Yet, within Ghana itself, the conversation around African complicity is far more nuanced, and for some traditional leaders, acknowledging the past is a vital prerequisite part of healing.

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

She is among the few female leaders in a Ukrainian defense sector where around 90% of employees are male.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

And Hitler doubted that their leaders were loyal.

From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple

Related Words

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