leadership
Americannoun
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leaderships
plural
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the position or function of a leader, a person who guides or directs a group.
He managed to maintain his leadership of the party despite heavy opposition.
- Synonyms:
- hegemony, stewardship, governorship, control, directorship, management, administration
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ability to lead.
As early as sixth grade she displayed remarkable leadership potential.
- Synonyms:
- clout, sway, effectiveness, command, influence, authoritativeness
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an act or instance of leading; guidance; direction.
They prospered under his strong leadership.
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the leaders of a group.
The union leadership agreed to arbitrate.
noun
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the position or function of a leader
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the period during which a person occupies the position of leader
during her leadership very little was achieved
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the ability to lead
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( as modifier )
leadership qualities
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the leaders as a group of a party, union, etc
the union leadership is now very reactionary
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of leadership
Explanation
Leadership is the action of leading a group of people. Or, the actual people who lead the group. If you think you have leadership skills, you better be able to rally the troops and get the job done. Leadership can be the act of leading, or a name for the group of people doing the leading. The House leadership, newly emboldened by election results, may set an ambitious agenda for the new session of Congress. Your own leadership skills may be called into question if your entire staff resigns and goes to work for your competitor.
Vocabulary lists containing leadership
"Speaking Up"
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"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 7
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"Speeches on the Little Rock Nine"
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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.
See Examples For:
The bloc has excluded Myanmar's leadership from high-level summits since the putsch, but its foreign minister attended an informal meeting with his regional counterparts last month in Bangkok.
From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026
At the weekend, European football's governing body said it had lost confidence in Infantino's leadership and threatened legal action against Fifa.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
Every report should carry a disclaimer—for example, “While this report has been endorsed by National Academies leadership, it has not been endorsed, or even reviewed, by the academies’ membership at large.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
In a statement carried by North Korean state media, Kim Yo Jong said Pyongyang's "leadership will set up additional military options which are obviously due to Japan's transformation".
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
This was the practical thing to do, he hinted, to imprison the man rather than risk the anger of Haitians who were starting to lose confidence in Captain Carroll’s leadership.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
That represents only 0.1 percent of the total, but would be a significant sum for the leaderships of FIFA's poorer or smaller members.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
"The leaderships of the organisations have been clear, they're not taking any part in this, they're not encouraging anybody to take any part in this," he said.
From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026
While both groups have recruited new fighters to fill their ranks, their military leaderships are still in disarray, some of the people familiar with intelligence said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2025
“An effective U.S. deterrent threat must hold at risk what contemporary hostile leaderships value most, because they are the audience that must be deterred,” the report states.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 27, 2023
They are achievements of leaderships, emancipations, governments, getting money for building God's houses, making strong the weak, waxing valiant in fight, and turning the world upside down.
From Among the Forces by Warren, Henry White
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.
