leading
1 Americanadjective
-
chief; principal; most important; foremost.
a leading toy manufacturer.
-
coming in advance of others; first.
We rode in the leading car.
-
directing, guiding.
- Synonyms:
- ruling
noun
adjective
-
guiding, directing, or influencing
-
(prenominal) principal or primary
-
in the first position
the leading car in the procession
-
maths (of a coefficient) associated with the term of highest degree in a polynomial containing one variable
in 5x² + 2x + 3, 5 is the leading coefficient
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of leading1
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English (noun); lead 1 ( def. ) + -ing 2 ( def. ) for the adjective senses; lead 1 ( def. ) + -ing 1 ( def. ) for the noun sense
Origin of leading2
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.
During that period it was concentrated in a single household, with Peter Murrell running the SNP and his wife Nicola Sturgeon leading that party and the Scottish government.
From BBC • May 25, 2026
Marion, and Wodgina production upgrades, leading it to raise its target on the stock to 83.00 Australian dollars from A$73.00.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 25, 2026
A 2020 investigation by ProPublica and the Tribune found that the government was awarding contracts before acquiring titles to the land, leading to millions of dollars in costs related to delays.
From Salon • May 25, 2026
One leading idea is that the neutrino came from a special class of blazars capable of accelerating particles to extreme energies.
From Science Daily • May 24, 2026
“This far out,” Buzz said, “the ash was fluffy, and every step stirred it up. So we wouldn’t breathe in so much, we walked a hundred feet apart—I leading, the kids, then Dan.”
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
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.
