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   Lead

   /lēd/

   

   verb

   • 1. cause (a person or animal) to go with one by holding them by the hand, a halter, a rope, etc. while moving forward: "she emerged leading a bay horse" Similar guideconductshowshow someone the waylead the wayusherescortsteerpilotmarshalshepherdaccompanyseetakehelpassistOpposite follow
   • ▪ show (someone or something) the way to a destination by going in front of or beside them: "she stood up and led her friend to the door" Similar be at the head ofbe at the front ofheadspearheadOpposite follow
   • 2. be a route or means of access to a particular place or in a particular direction: "the door led to a long hallway" Similar open ontogive ontoconnect with/toprovide a route tocommunicate with
   • ▪ be a reason or motive for (someone): "nothing that I have read about the case leads me to the conclusion that anything untoward happened"
   • ▪ culminate in (a particular event): "closing the plant will lead to the loss of 300 jobs" Similar result incausebring onbring aboutcall forthgive rise tobe the cause ofmake happencreateproduceoccasioneffectengendergeneratecontribute tobe conducive toadd tobe instrumental inhave a hand inhave a part inhelppromoteadvanceprecipitatehastenacceleratequickenpush forwardpromptexpeditefurtherspeed upprovokestir upspark offtrigger (off)set offtouch offarouserouseexcitefomentinstigatecostinvolvenecessitateinviteriskelicitentailrare:effectuateconduce to
   • 3. be in charge or command of: "a military delegation was led by the Chief of Staff" Similar be the leader ofbe the head ofpreside overhold sway overheadcommanddirectgovernrulebe in charge ofbe in command ofbe in control ofhave control ofhave charge ofregulatesupervisesuperintendoverseechairrunmastermindorchestratecontrolconductguidebe at the helm oftake the chair ofadministerorganizemanagedominatemasterreign overdomineerbe in power overinformal:head uprun the showcall the shotsOpposite serve in
   • ▪ organize and direct: "the conference included sessions led by people with personal knowledge of the area"
   • ▪ be the principal player of (a group of musicians): "since the forties he has led his own big bands" Similar be at the head ofbe at the front ofheadspearheadOpposite follow
   • ▪ set (a process) in motion: "they are waiting for an expansion of world trade to lead a recovery"
   • ▪ (of a base runner) advance one or more steps from the base one occupies while the pitcher has the ball: "the runner leads from first"
   • ▪ (in card games) play (the first card) in a trick or round of play: "he led the ace and another heart"
   • 4. have the first place in (a competition); be ahead of (competitors): "the veteran jockey was leading the field" Similar be aheadbe winningbe in frontbe out in frontbe in the leadbe firstcome firstOpposite be losinglose
   • ▪ be superior to (competitors or colleagues): "there will be specific areas or skills in which other nations lead the world" Similar be at the front ofbe first inbe ahead ofheadoutdistanceoutrunoutstripoutpaceleave behindget (further) ahead ofdraw away fromshake offoutdoexcelexceedsurpassoutclasstranscendtoptrumpcapbeatbetterwiden the gapinformal:leave standingwalk away fromrun rings aroundarchaic:outrivaloutvieOpposite followtrail
   • ▪ have the advantage in a race or game: "Dallas was fortunate to lead 85-72" Similar be aheadbe winningbe in frontbe out in frontbe in the leadbe firstcome firstOpposite be losinglose
   • 5. have or experience (a particular way of life): "she's led a completely sheltered life" Similar experiencehavelivepassspendundergo

   noun

   • 1. the initiative in an action; an example for others to follow: "the US is now taking the environmental lead" Similar first positionhead placeforefrontprimacydominancesuperiorityprecedenceascendancypreeminencesupremacyadvantageedgeupper handwhip handhead startOpposite last position
   • ▪ a piece of information that may help in the resolution of a problem: "detectives investigating the murder are chasing new leads" Similar cluepointerguidehinttiptip-offsuggestionindicationindicatorsignsignalintimationinklingevidenceinformation
   • ▪ a person or thing that may be useful, especially a potential customer or business opportunity: "setting up a social networking page can help you get numerous leads"
   • ▪ (in card games) an act or right of playing first in a trick or round of play: "it's your lead"
   • ▪ the card played first in a trick or round: "the ♦8 was an inspired lead"
   • 2. a position of advantage in a contest; first place: "they were beaten 5-3 after twice being in the lead" Similar leading positionleading placefirst placeadvance positionvanvanguardaheadin frontwinningleading the fieldto the foreinformal:up frontOpposite lastlosing
   • ▪ an amount by which a competitor is ahead of the others: "the team held a slender one-goal lead" Similar winning marginmargingapinterval
   • ▪ an advance of one or more steps taken by a base runner from the base they occupy while the pitcher has the ball.
   • 3. the chief part in a play or film: "she had the lead in a new film" Similar leading rolestar/starring rolestar parttitle roleprincipal partstarprincipal charactermale leadfemale leadleading manleading ladyheroheroineprotagonistOpposite bit partextra
   • ▪ the person playing the chief part: "he still looked like a romantic lead"
   • ▪ the chief performer or instrument of a specified type: "that girl will be your lead dancer"
   • ▪ the item of news given the greatest prominence in a newspaper, broadcast, etc.: "the “pensions revolution” is the lead in the Times"
   • ▪ the opening sentence or paragraph of a news article, summarizing the most important aspects of the story: US "the newswire will be offering two different leads for certain stories, so editors can pick and choose"
   • 4. a leash for a dog or other animal: British "the dog is our constant walking companion and is always kept on a lead" Similar leashtetherreincordropechainline
   • 5. a wire that conveys electric current from a source to an appliance, or that connects two points of a circuit together. British
   • 6. the distance advanced by a screw in one turn.
   • 7. an artificial watercourse leading to a mill.
   • ▪ a channel of water in an ice field.

   Word Origin Old Englishlǣdan, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch leiden and German leiten, also to load and lode.

   Derivatives

   • 1. leadable adjective

   Scrabble Points: 5

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   • A

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   • D

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