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.
Pratt’s home burned in the January 2025 Palisades fire, leading Pratt to move to his parents’ beach home in Carpinteria, in Santa Barbara County.
From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2026
And with France this year hosting meetings of the G7 club of leading industrial nations, ministers responsible for digital affairs will gather in Paris on May 29.
From Barron's • May 22, 2026
Nvidia’s swelling cash flows had some investors anticipating an update on capital returns leading into its earnings report on Wednesday.
From MarketWatch • May 22, 2026
He thinks big companies will soon realize that their overemphasis on AI-produced code is driving up costs and leading to subpar software.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
They made for much easier resting posts, so I just followed them, stopping along the way with no idea where they were leading me.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
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.
