leading

¹ American  

[lee-ding] / ˈli dɪŋ /

adjective

1. chief; principal; most important; foremost.

   a leading toy manufacturer.

2. coming in advance of others; first.

   We rode in the leading car.

3. directing, guiding.

   Synonyms:

   ruling

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noun

1. the act of a person or thing that leads.

leading ² American  

[led-ing] / ˈlɛd ɪŋ /

noun

1. a covering or framing of lead.

   the leading of a stained-glass window.

2. Printing. lead.

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leading ¹ British  

/ ˈliːdɪŋ /

adjective

1. guiding, directing, or influencing

2. (prenominal) principal or primary

3. in the first position

   the leading car in the procession

4. 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

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leading ² British  

/ ˈlɛdɪŋ /

noun

1. Also called: interlinear spacing. printing the spacing between lines of photocomposed or digitized type

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Other Word Forms

• leadingly
  adverb

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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

First recorded in 1400–50; lead ² + -ing ¹

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

leading

That spurred an international rescue operation by several aquariums, leading to the largest ever transfer of captive whales this summer.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

After leading the Bruins to their first win at Autzen Stadium since 2004, Dieffenbach earned the right to replace Iamaleava in the starting lineup.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

Microsoft expects it to deliver 40% more tokens — pieces of information that AI models process and generate — per megawatt than leading systems based on graphics processing units.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

The former girlfriend of Jesus Gerardo, who is accused of leading the attack, was sentenced to 20 years in prison in November for her role.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

I watch them walk under a rounded doorframe and descend a stairway leading into a huge auditorium the size of a football field.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

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Related Words

• best
• dominant
• famous
• main
• noted
• outstanding
• popular
• preeminent
• principal
• prominent
• top
• well-known

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