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

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

Example Sentences

Leading the Fed means forging consensus among the 11 other policymakers who also vote on interest rates.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 18, 2026

Leading American institutions and the World Health Organization recommend that newborns get the shot.

From Salon • May 7, 2026

Leading into the report, investors had become enthusiastic about a report saying that Qualcomm was being tapped to work with OpenAI on chips for an agentic-AI smartphone.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 29, 2026

Leading Emirati officials talk of new pipelines from the UAE's oil fields in Abu Dhabi, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz, and heading to the underused port of Fujairah.

From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026

Leading the expedition was one Siyaj K’ak’, apparently a trusted general or counselor to the ruler of Teotihuacan.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

Related Words

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