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

But for now, Nebius is the leading light.

From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026

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 • Nov. 8, 2025

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 • Oct. 22, 2025

Vardy was Leicester's leading light and the influential figure they turned to, and could rely on, in times of need.

From BBC • Apr. 24, 2025

Arnauld’s preoccupation with the fact developed out of the great dispute over whether Jansenism, of which Arnauld was the leading light, was heretical.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton