leader

American  

[lee-der] / ˈli dər /

noun

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

• leaderless adjective
• subleader noun

Etymology

Origin of leader

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

Example Sentences

The warm embrace was a signal that the de facto Saudi leader, once shunned in the West, was fully rehabilitated on the world stage.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026

The Bruins didn’t even panic when their leader seemed to panic, as Betts spent nearly half of the first quarter on the bench complaining that, “I’ve got something stuck in my throat.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 5, 2026

The leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics will then pronounce a traditional blessing at 1000 GMT that will be closely followed this year.

From Barron's • Apr. 5, 2026

Magyar posts a mixture of professional content and images portraying himself as a younger and more relatable leader, showing him partying, playing volleyball, flipping burgers at a restaurant, and enjoying water sports.

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026

Then the Soviet leader was led to one of the tables to meet Marilyn Monroe.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin

Related Words

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