leading light

American  

[lee-ding] / ˈli dɪŋ /

noun

1. an important or influential person.

   a leading light of the community.

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leading light British  

/ ˈliːdɪŋ /

noun

1. an important or outstanding person, esp in an organization or cause

2. nautical a less common term for range light

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leading light Idioms  

1. An important or influential individual, as in Jim was a leading light in his community. This expression, alluding to moral guidance, dates from about 1870, but terms such as a shining light have been used for an outstanding person since the first half of the 1500s.

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Etymology

Origin of leading light

First recorded in 1870–75

Example Sentences

The latest episode of fragility started last week, when shares of some of the sector’s leading lights lost ground.

From The Wall Street Journal

But after settling in Manhattan in 1918, she quickly became a leading light in American modernism—and fell in love with skyscrapers.

From The Wall Street Journal

That’s underscored by Bapcor signaling it has lost market share in its Trade business, which was previously the leading light among its operations.

From The Wall Street Journal

Redford's passing caused an outpouring of grief from the US filmmaking community -- many of whose leading lights got their start at the indie movie festival he created, including Quentin Tarantino and Steven Soderbergh.

From Barron's

"These two people were part of the operational chain but were far from the leading lights of it."

From BBC