English Dictionary

Definition of “leading”

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1leading1 (ˈliːdɪŋPronunciation for leading1) 

Definitions

adjective

  1. guiding, directing, or influencing
  2. (prenominal) principal or primary
  3. in the first position  ⇒ the leading car in the procession 
  4. mathematics (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 

Alternative Forms

ˈleadingly adverb

2leading2 (ˈlɛdɪŋPronunciation for leading2) 

Definitions

noun

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

1lead1 (liːdPronunciation for lead1) 

Definitions

verb

Word forms: leads, leading, led, lɛd
  1. to show the way to (an individual or a group) by going with or ahead  ⇒ lead the party into the garden 
  2. to guide or be guided by holding, pulling, etc  ⇒ he led the horse by its reins 
  3. (tr) to cause to act, feel, think, or behave in a certain way; induce; influence  ⇒ he led me to believe that he would go 
  4. (tr) to phrase a question to (a witness) that tends to suggest the desired answer
  5. intr, foll by to (of a road, route, etc) to serve as the means of reaching a place
  6. (tr) to go ahead so as to indicate (esp in the phrase lead the way)
  7. to guide, control, or direct  ⇒ to lead an army 
  8. (tr) to direct the course of or conduct (water, a rope or wire, etc) along or as if along a channel
  9. to initiate the action of (something); have the principal part in (something)  ⇒ to lead a discussion 
  10. to go at the head of or have the top position in (something)  ⇒ he leads his class in geography 
  11. (intr) with to have as the first or principal item  ⇒ the newspaper led with the royal birth 
  12. music 
    1. British to play first violin in (an orchestra)
    2. (intr) (of an instrument or voice) to be assigned an important entry in a piece of music
  13. to direct and guide (one's partner) in a dance
  14. (tr)
    1. to pass or spend  ⇒ I lead a miserable life 
    2. to cause to pass a life of a particular kind  ⇒ to lead a person a dog's life 
  15. (intr) to to tend (to) or result (in)  ⇒ this will only lead to misery 
  16. to initiate a round of cards by putting down (the first card) or to have the right to do this  ⇒ she led a diamond 
  17. (tr) to aim at a point in front of (a moving target) in shooting, etc, in order to allow for the time of flight
  18. (intr) boxing to make an offensive blow, esp as one's habitual attacking punch  ⇒ southpaws lead with their right 
  19. See lead astray
  20. See lead by the nose

noun

    1. the first, foremost, or most prominent place
    2. ((as modifier)  ⇒ lead singer 
  2. example, precedence, or leadership  ⇒ the class followed the teacher's lead 
  3. an advance or advantage held over others  ⇒ the runner had a lead of twenty yards 
  4. anything that guides or directs; indication; clue
  5. another name for leash
  6. the act or prerogative of playing the first card in a round of cards or the card so played
  7. the principal role in a play, film, etc, or the person playing such a role
    1. the principal news story in a newspaper  ⇒ the scandal was the lead in the papers 
    2. the opening paragraph of a news story
    3. ((as modifier)  ⇒ lead story 
  9. music an important entry assigned to one part usually at the beginning of a movement or section
  10. a wire, cable, or other conductor for making an electrical connection
  11. boxing 
    1. one's habitual attacking punch
    2. a blow made with this
  12. nautical the direction in which a rope runs
  13. a deposit of metal or ore; lode
  14. the firing of a gun, missile, etc, ahead of a moving target to correct for the time of flight of the projectile

See also

lead off , lead on , lead up to

Word Origin

Old English lǣdan;  related to līthan  to travel, Old High German līdan to go

2lead2 (lɛdPronunciation for lead2) 

Definitions

noun

  1. a heavy toxic bluish-white metallic element that is highly malleable: occurs principally as galena and used in alloys, accumulators, cable sheaths, paints, and as a radiation shield. Symbol: Pb; atomic no: 82; atomic wt: 207.2; valency: 2 or 4; relative density: 11.35; melting pt: 327.502°C; boiling pt: 1750°C plumbicplumbeousplumbous
  2. a lead weight suspended on a line used to take soundings of the depth of water
  3. See swing the lead
  4. lead weights or shot, as used in cartridges, fishing lines, etc
  5. a thin grooved strip of lead for holding small panes of glass or pieces of stained glass
  6. (plural)
    1. thin sheets or strips of lead used as a roof covering
    2. a flat or low-pitched roof covered with such sheets
  7. printing a thin strip of type metal used for spacing between lines of hot-metal type Compare reglet (sense 2)
    1. graphite or a mixture containing graphite, clay, etc, used for drawing
    2. a thin stick of this material, esp the core of a pencil
  9. (modifier) of, consisting of, relating to, or containing lead
  10. See go down like a lead balloon

verb (tr)

  1. to fill or treat with lead
  2. to surround, cover, or secure with lead or leads
  3. printing to space (type) by use of leads

Alternative Forms

ˈleadless adjective ˈleady adjective

Word Origin

Old English; related to Dutch lood,  German Lot

Usage examples

  • Stephanie assumed that had failed, leading to the direct approach on Salibi himself.
    Mark Burnell, CHAMELEON (2002)
  • THE County Homesearch COMPANY Established in 1988 The County Homesearch Company is the leading independent property homefinder in the UK.
    Country Life (2004)
  • Number three Mark Butcher lasted only two deliveries before giving a leading edge to debutant Ian Butler at mid-off.
    Irish Times (2002)
  • The drawing room has a large bay window overlooking the front garden and glazed doors leading into the formal dining room.
    Glasgow Herald (2001)
  • By 1958, under licence from Grunenthal, Distillers were selling thalidomide in Britain --- the blind leading the blind.
    Jim Leavesley, George Biro, THE MEDICAL MYSTERIES E-OMNIBUS (2001)

Commonness

All English words that begin with 'L'

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