lead

1 of 5

verb (1)

ˈlēd

led ˈled

; leading

Synonyms of lead next

transitive verb

: to guide on a way especially by going in advance

led the officers to his hiding place

: to direct on a course or in a direction

a road leading the traveler to the heart of the city

: to serve as a channel for

a pipe leads water to the house

: to go through : live

lead a quiet life

a(1)

: to direct the operations, activity, or performance of

lead an orchestra

(2)

: to have charge of

lead a campaign

(3)

: to suggest to (a witness) the answer desired by asking leading questions

counsel is leading this witness, putting words in her mouth—

Erle Stanley Gardner

b(1)

: to go at the head of

lead a parade

(2)

: to be first in or among

lead the league

(3)

: to have a margin over

led his opponent

: to bring to some conclusion or condition

led to believe otherwise

: to begin play with

lead trumps

: to aim in front of (a moving object)

lead a duck

: to pass a ball or puck just in front of (a moving teammate)

intransitive verb

: to guide someone or something along a way

You lead and we'll follow.

: to lie, run, or open in a specified place or direction

path leads uphill

: to guide a dance partner through the steps of a dance

: to be first

This state leads in population.

b(1)

: begin, open

will lead off with a Christmas story—

Richard Bissell

(2)

: to play the first card of a trick, round, or game

: to tend toward or have a result

study leading to a degree

: to direct the first of a series of blows at an opponent in boxing

lead

2 of 5

noun (1)

ˈlēd

a(1)

: leadership

look to the president for a unifying lead—

D. W. Brogan

(2)

: example, precedent

followed the lead of the majority leader in voting

b(1)

: position at the front : vanguard

The runner from Kenya was in the lead for most of the race.

(2)

: initiative

took the lead in fighting the measure

(3)

: the act or privilege of playing first in a card game

Your partner has the lead.

also : the card or suit played first

His lead was the ace.

: a margin or measure of advantage or superiority or position in advance

enjoys a good lead over all competitors

: one that leads: such as

: lode sense 2

: a channel of water especially through a field of ice

: indication, clue

The detectives had a few leads to follow.

: a principal role in a dramatic production

She was the romantic lead in the movie.

also : one who plays such a role

: leash sense 1

train a dog to walk on a lead

f(1)

: an introductory section of a news story : lede

edit the lead to grab the reader's attention

(2)

: a news story of chief importance

The story of his arrest was the lead in newspapers across the country.

: an insulated electrical conductor connected to an electrical device

: the course of a rope from end to end

: the amount of axial (see axial sense 2a) advance of a point accompanying a complete turn of a thread (as of a screw or worm)

: a position taken by a base runner off a base toward the next

The runner on first took a big lead.

: the first punch of a series or an exchange of punches in boxing

lead

3 of 5

adjective

ˈlēd

: acting or serving as a lead (see lead entry 2) or leader

a lead article

lead

4 of 5

noun (2)

ˈled

: a soft, heavy, metallic element with atomic number 82 found mostly in combination and used especially in alloys, batteries, and shields against sound, vibration, or radiation

—often used before another noun

lead pipes

This capsule was sealed in a tungsten wheel the size of a tricycle tire, which was then placed behind thick lead shielding.—

Sandra Blakeslee

see Chemical Elements Table

: a plummet for sounding at sea

leads plural, British : a usually flat lead roof

leads plural : lead framing for panes in windows

: a thin strip of metal used to separate lines of type in printing

: a thin stick of marking substance (such as graphite) in or for a pencil

: white lead

: bullets, projectiles

: tetraethyl lead

lead

5 of 5

verb (2)

ˈled

leaded; leading; leads

transitive verb

: to cover, line, or weight with lead (see lead entry 4)

: to fix (window glass) in position with leads

: to put space between the lines of (typeset matter)

: to treat or mix with lead or a lead compound

leaded gasoline

Phrases

lead one down the garden path or less commonly lead one up the garden path

: hoodwink, deceive

I'd rather he be disappointed with the truth rather than lead him down the garden path—

Harold Robbins

Did you know?

When to Use Lead or Led

There is some persistent confusion about lead and led. Or, we should say, there is confusion about the leads and led. Lead is both a noun and a verb, as most people know. There are several unrelated nouns spelled lead: one most commonly refers to a metal (as in, "The paint was made with lead"), and the other most commonly refers to a position of advantage (as in, "Our team was in the lead"). The verb lead is pronounced /LEED/, with a long e; the noun that refers to a position or advantage is also pronounced /LEED/, with a long e; the noun that refers to the metal, however, is pronounced /LED/, with a short e. To this moderately convoluted situation, add the past tense and past participle of the verb lead, which is led and pronounced like the metal noun lead with a short e. The homophonic confusion leads to homographic confusion, and you will therefore occasionally see lead in constructions where led is called for (as in, “She lead the ducklings to safety” instead of “She led the ducklings to safety”). The correct past and past participle of lead is spelled led. If you aren’t sure whether to use led or lead as the verb in your sentence, try reading it aloud to yourself. If the verb is pronounced /LED/, use led.

Choose the Right Synonym for lead

guide, lead, steer, pilot, engineer mean to direct in a course or show the way to be followed.

guide implies intimate knowledge of the way and of all its difficulties and dangers.

guided the scouts through the cave

lead implies showing the way and often keeping those that follow under control and in order.

led his team to victory

steer implies an ability to keep to a course and stresses the capacity of maneuvering correctly.

steered the ship through a narrow channel

pilot suggests guidance over a dangerous or complicated course.

piloted the bill through the Senate

engineer implies finding ways to avoid or overcome difficulties in achieving an end or carrying out a plan.

engineered his son's election to the governorship

Examples of lead in a Sentence

Adjective the lead diplomat is responsible for making policy for the entire embassy

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Zellweger earned her first Oscar nomination for her lead role in Bridget Jones's Diary, and the rom-com franchise has gone on to gross more than $760 million at the worldwide box office. —

Jessica Wang, EW.com, 9 Apr. 2024 In 2023, the most reputable survey of lead election officials estimated the workforce to be 92% white, with the majority of officials also older than 50 years old. —

Miles Parks, NPR, 9 Apr. 2024 Instead, Addison used a rope-and-pulley system to lift and lower attached lead weights. —

San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Apr. 2024 Anita Dunn, who spearheads Mr. Biden’s communications strategy, was a lead organizer of a 2015 report that called for a wholesale restructuring of the presidential debate system. —

Michael M. Grynbaum, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2024 Notably, while Beyoncé is the first black woman in a lead role to lead Top Country Albums, multiple prominent Black acts are on the various artists set Rhythm Country Blues, which led for a week in March 1994. —

Jim Asker, Billboard, 8 Apr. 2024 Oosthuizen rebounded with a birdie on the 16th as Garcia birdied the 15th, each lifting himself into a tie for the lead Burmester at 11-under. —

David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 7 Apr. 2024 This leaves both European giants without lead tacticians heading into next term, with Bayern especially threatened as star players including Real Madrid target Alphonso Davies and Joshua Kimmich want clarity. —

Tom Sanderson, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024 The song is the lead single and title track from Cage the Elephant’s sixth studio album, due May 17 on RCA Records. —

Kevin Rutherford, Billboard, 29 Mar. 2024

Noun

The Simpson prosecution – lead by Marcia Clark and Chris Darden – zeroed in on the domestic abuse and DNA evidence, including that on a bloody glove found at the crime scene that matched another at Simpson’s property. —

Dakin Andone, CNN, 11 Apr. 2024 In 2022, chef Alan Sanz, who previously held roles as executive chef at Gracias Madre in Newport Beach and Sueños in Laguna Beach, among others, took over as lead chef at Porch & Swing. —

Brock Keeling, Orange County Register, 11 Apr. 2024 In 2022, the agency introduced draft guidelines for lead limits in juice. —

Berkeley Lovelace Jr., NBC News, 11 Apr. 2024 There were five ties and five lead changes in the fourth quarter. —

Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 10 Apr. 2024 The album arrived on March 1 with the former Oasis member helming vocals across the album while Squire, of the Stone Roses, serves as lead guitarist and songwriter. —

Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 10 Apr. 2024 The most common pellet sizes for lead turkey loads are No. 5s and No. 6s. —

Frank Stewart, The Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2024 Barrios’ family didn’t gave up searching for leads. —

Tyrone Beason, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2024

Verb

The Pope has been leading Holy Week liturgies, presiding over five since Thursday, including an Easter Vigil in St. Peter’s Basilica on Saturday which lasted more than two hours. —

Christopher Lamb, CNN, 31 Mar. 2024 The person then allegedly pointed the gun in the direction of the officers, leading multiple officers to fire their weapons, the highway patrol said. —

Andrea Klick, Kansas City Star, 31 Mar. 2024 The Tigers still have a 77-44 series lead against Arkansas, but the Razorbacks are 12-4 against LSU since 2019. —

Bob Holt, arkansasonline.com, 31 Mar. 2024 The pairing of Strong opposite Michael Imperioli, making his Broadway debut as Peter, Thomas’s brother and the mayor who leads the charge against him, lends the revival a certain cable-drama prestige. —

Naveen Kumar, Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2024 Each packet offers three times more electrolytes than leading sports drinks, according to the brand, and features a healthy blend of sodium, zinc, vitamin C, potassium, and magnesium to help your immune system and energy levels. —

Alesandra Dubin, Travel + Leisure, 19 Mar. 2024 New York has struggled to house, feed and process the wave of asylum-seekers, leading Mayor Eric Adams to call on federal officials for financial support and policy change. —

Kiara Alfonseca, ABC News, 19 Mar. 2024 Understand that this whole episode could very likely lead her to ask you to move out. —

Amy Dickinson, Detroit Free Press, 7 Mar. 2024 Republican Hal Weatherman received about 20% of the vote, leading the race for the GOP nomination. —

Kendrick Marshall, Charlotte Observer, 7 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lead.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1), Noun (1), and Adjective

Middle English leden, from Old English lǣdan; akin to Old High German leiten to lead, Old English līthan to go

Noun (2) and Verb (2)

Middle English leed, from Old English lēad; akin to Middle High German lōt lead

First Known Use

Verb (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Adjective

1828, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of lead was before the 12th century

See more words from the same century

Phrases Containing lead

Articles Related to lead

a cube of pure lead metal against a white background

Led vs. Lead

7 Phrases That Are Just So Metal

Some of these phrases have magnetism.

Why Do We 'Bury the Lede?'

We buried 'lead' so far down that we forgot how to spell it

Cite this Entry

Style

“Lead.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lead. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

lead

1 of 5 verb

ˈlēd

led ˈled

; leading

ˈlēd-iŋ

: to guide especially by going in advance : conduct

: to direct on a course or in a direction

: to serve as a channel for

: to lie, go, or open in a specified direction

the path leads uphill

study leading to a degree

: to go through : live

lead a quiet life

: to direct the activity of : manage, direct

lead an orchestra

lead a campaign

: to be first or best in

lead the league

also : begin sense 1, open

: to be ahead of

led their opponents by 20 points at the end of the third quarter

lead

2 of 5 noun

: position at the front : leadership

: example sense 1, precedent

: an amount or distance ahead

: indication sense 2, clue

: a principal role in a play

also : one who plays such a role

: a beginning section of a news story

also : a news story of chief importance

: the first in a series

also : the right to be first

: an insulated electrical conductor

: a position taken by a base runner off a base toward the next

lead

3 of 5 adjective

: acting or serving as a lead or leader

lead guitarist

lead

4 of 5 noun

ˈled

: a soft bluish white heavy metallic element that is found mostly in combination with other elements, is easily shaped, and is used especially in pipes, cable coverings, batteries, solder, and radiation shields see element

: a mass of lead used on a line for finding the depth of water (as in the ocean)

plural : lead framing for glass (as in windows)

: a thin stick of marking substance (as graphite) in or for a pencil

: bullets in quantity

: tetraethyl lead

lead

5 of 5 verb

ˈled

leaded; leading

: to cover, line, or weight with lead

: to fix (window glass) in position with lead

: to treat or mix with lead or a lead compound

leaded gasoline

Etymology

Verb

Old English lǣdan "to lead"

Noun

Old English lēad "the metal lead"

Medical Definition

lead

1 of 2 noun

ˈlēd

: a flexible or solid insulated conductor connected to or leading out from an electrical device (as an electroencephalograph)

lead

2 of 2 noun

ˈled

often attributive

: a heavy soft malleable ductile plastic but inelastic bluish white metallic element found mostly in combination and used especially in pipes, cable sheaths, batteries, solder, and shields against radioactivity

—symbol Pb see Chemical Elements Table

: white lead

: tetraethyl lead

Legal Definition

lead

1 of 2 transitive verb

led; leading

: to suggest the desired answer to (a witness) by asking leading questions

lead

2 of 2 noun

: something serving as a tip, indication, or clue

the police have only one lead in the murder investigation

Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.

Can you solve 4 words at once?

Word of the Day

inalienable

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

lead

verb (1)

noun (1)

adjective

noun (2)

verb (2)

Did you know?

Synonyms

Examples of lead in a Sentence

Word History

Dictionary Entries Near lead

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition

Medical Definition

Legal Definition