Lead definition | Dictionary.com

lead

1 [leed]

verb, led, lead⋅ing, noun, adjective

–verb (used with object)

1.	to go before or with to show the way; conduct or escort: to lead a group on a cross-country hike.

2.	to conduct by holding and guiding: to lead a horse by a rope.

3.	to influence or induce; cause: Subsequent events led him to reconsider his position.

4.	to guide in direction, course, action, opinion, etc.; bring: You can lead her around to your point of view if you are persistent.

5.	to conduct or bring (water, wire, etc.) in a particular course.

6.	(of a road, passage, etc.) to serve to bring (a person) to a place: The first street on the left will lead you to Andrews Place.

7.	to take or bring: The prisoners were led into the warden's office.

8.	to command or direct (an army or other large organization): He led the Allied forces during the war.

9.	to go at the head of or in advance of (a procession, list, body, etc.); proceed first in: The mayor will lead the parade.

10.	to be superior to; have the advantage over: The first baseman leads his teammates in runs batted in.

11.	to have top position or first place in: Iowa leads the nation in corn production.

12.	to have the directing or principal part in: The minister will now lead us in prayer. He led a peace movement.

13.	to act as leader of (an orchestra, band, etc.); conduct.

14.	to go through or pass (time, life, etc.): to lead a full life.

15.	Cards. to begin a round, game, etc., with (a card or suit specified).

16.	to aim and fire a firearm or cannon ahead of (a moving target) in order to allow for the travel of the target while the bullet or shell is reaching it.

17.	Football. to throw a lead pass to (an intended receiver): The quarterback led the left end.

–verb (used without object)

18.	to act as a guide; show the way: You lead and we'll follow.

19.	to afford passage to a place: That path leads directly to the house.

20.	to go first; be in advance: The band will lead and the troops will follow.

21.	to result in; tend toward (usually fol. by to): The incident led to his resignation. One remark often leads to another.

22.	to take the directing or principal part.

23.	to take the offensive: The contender led with a right to the body.

24.	Cards. to make the first play.

25.	to be led or submit to being led, as a horse: A properly trained horse will lead easily.

26.	Baseball. (of a base runner) to leave a base before the delivery of a pitch in order to reach the next base more quickly (often fol. by away).

27.	lead back, to play (a card) from a suit that one's partner led.

–noun

28.	the first or foremost place; position in advance of others: He took the lead in the race.

29.	the extent of such an advance position: He had a lead of four lengths.

30.	a person or thing that leads.

31.

a leash.

32.	a suggestion or piece of information that helps to direct or guide; tip; clue: I got a lead on a new job. The phone list provided some great sales leads.

33.	a guide or indication of a road, course, method, etc., to follow.

34.	precedence; example; leadership: They followed the lead of the capital in their fashions.

35.

Theater.

a.	the principal part in a play.

b.	the person who plays it.

36.

Cards.

a.	the act or right of playing first, as in a round.

b.	the card, suit, etc., so played.

37.

Journalism.

a.	a short summary serving as an introduction to a news story, article, or other copy.

b.	the main and often most important news story.

38.	Electricity. an often flexible and insulated single conductor, as a wire, used in connections between pieces of electric apparatus.

39.	the act of taking the offensive.

40.

Nautical.

a.	the direction of a rope, wire, or chain.

b.	Also called leader. any of various devices for guiding a running rope.

41.	Naval Architecture. the distance between the center of lateral resistance and the center of effort of a sailing ship, usually expressed decimally as a fraction of the water-line length.

42.	an open channel through a field of ice.

43.

Mining.

a lode.

b.	an auriferous deposit in an old riverbed.

44.	the act of aiming a gun ahead of a moving target.

45.	the distance ahead of a moving target that a gun must be aimed in order to score a direct hit.

46.	Baseball. an act or instance of leading.

47.	Manège. (of a horse at a canter or gallop) the foreleg that consistently extends beyond and strikes the ground ahead of the other foreleg: The horse is cantering on the left lead.

–adjective

48.	most important; principal; leading; first: lead editorial; lead elephant.

49.	Football. (of a forward pass) thrown ahead of the intended receiver so as to allow him to catch it while running.

50.	Baseball. (of a base runner) nearest to scoring: They forced the lead runner at third base on an attempted sacrifice.

—Verb phrases

51.

lead off,

a.	to take the initiative; begin.

b.	Baseball. to be the first player in the batting order or the first batter in an inning.

52.

lead on,

a.	to induce to follow an unwise course of action; mislead.

b.	to cause or encourage to believe something that is not true.

53.

lead out,

a.	to make a beginning.

b.	to escort a partner to begin a dance: He led her out and they began a rumba.

—Idioms

54.	lead someone a chase or dance, to cause someone difficulty by forcing to do irksome or unnecessary things.

55.	lead the way. way (def. 35).

56.

lead up to,

a.	to prepare the way for.

b.	to approach (a subject, disclosure, etc.) gradually or evasively: I could tell by her allusions that she was leading up to something.

Origin:
bef. 900; ME leden, OE lǣdan (causative of līthan to go, travel); c. D leiden, G leiten, ON leitha

Synonyms:
1. accompany, precede. See guide. 3. persuade, convince. 10. excel, outstrip, surpass. 28. head, vanguard.

Antonyms:
1. follow.

200 Free Leads
With Hoover's, find better leads & close more sales. Try it now.

www.hoovers.com/free_leads

Pass the LEED Exam
Training courses held monthly. USGBC Accredited. Signup now!

www.EverblueEnergy.com/LEED

lead

2 [led]

–noun

1.	Chemistry. a heavy, comparatively soft, malleable, bluish-gray metal, sometimes found in its natural state but usually combined as a sulfide, esp. in galena. Symbol: Pb; atomic weight: 207.19; atomic number: 82; specific gravity: 11.34 at 20°C.

2.	something made of this metal or of one of its alloys.

3.	a plummet or mass of lead suspended by a line, as for taking soundings.

4.	bullets collectively; shot.

5.	black lead or graphite.

6.	a small stick of graphite, as used in pencils.

7.	Also, leading. Printing. a thin strip of type metal or brass less than type-high, used for increasing the space between lines of type.

8.	a grooved bar of lead or came in which sections of glass are set, as in stained-glass windows.

9.	leads, British. a roof, esp. one that is shallow or flat, covered with lead.

10.	white lead.

–verb (used with object)

11.	to cover, line, weight, treat, or impregnate with lead or one of its compounds.

12.	Printing. to insert leads between the lines of.

13.	to fix (window glass) in position with leads.

–adjective

14.	made of or containing lead: a lead pipe; a lead compound.

—Idioms

15.	get the lead out, Slang. to move or work faster; hurry up.

16.	heave the lead, Nautical. to take a sounding with a lead.

17.	go over like a lead balloon, Slang. to fail to arouse interest, enthusiasm, or support.

Origin:
bef. 900; ME lede, OE lēad; c. D lood, OFris lād lead, G Lot plummet

Related forms:

leadless, adjective

Synonyms:
3. weight, plumb.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source

Link To Lead

lead¹ (lēd)

v. led (lěd), lead·ing, leads

v. tr.

To show the way to by going in advance.
To guide or direct in a course: lead a horse by the halter. See Synonyms at guide.
1. To serve as a route for; take: The path led them to a cemetery.
2. To be a channel or conduit for (water or electricity, for example).
3. To direct the performance or activities of: lead an orchestra.
4. To inspire the conduct of: led the nation in its crisis.
5. To go or be at the head of: The queen led the procession. My name led the list.
6. To be ahead of: led the runner-up by three strides.
7. To be foremost in or among: led the field in nuclear research; led her teammates in free throws.
8. To aim in front of (a moving target).
9. Sports To pass a ball or puck ahead of (a moving teammate) so that the player can receive the pass without changing direction or losing momentum.
To guide the behavior or opinion of; induce: led us to believe otherwise.
1. To direct the performance or activities of: lead an orchestra.
2. To inspire the conduct of: led the nation in its crisis.
3. To go or be at the head of: The queen led the procession. My name led the list.
4. To be ahead of: led the runner-up by three strides.
5. To be foremost in or among: led the field in nuclear research; led her teammates in free throws.
6. To aim in front of (a moving target).
7. Sports To pass a ball or puck ahead of (a moving teammate) so that the player can receive the pass without changing direction or losing momentum.
To play a principal or guiding role in: lead a discussion; led the antiwar movement.
1. To go or be at the head of: The queen led the procession. My name led the list.
2. To be ahead of: led the runner-up by three strides.
3. To be foremost in or among: led the field in nuclear research; led her teammates in free throws.
4. To aim in front of (a moving target).
5. Sports To pass a ball or puck ahead of (a moving teammate) so that the player can receive the pass without changing direction or losing momentum.
To pass or go through; live: lead an independent life.
To begin or open with, as in games: led an ace.
To guide (a partner) in dancing.
1. To aim in front of (a moving target).
2. Sports To pass a ball or puck ahead of (a moving teammate) so that the player can receive the pass without changing direction or losing momentum.

v. intr.

To be first; be ahead.
To go first as a guide.
To act as commander, director, or guide.
To afford a passage, course, or route: a road that leads over the mountains; a door leading to the pantry.
To tend toward a certain goal or result: a remark that led to further discussion; policies that led to disaster.
To make the initial play, as in a game or contest.
To begin a presentation or an account in a given way: The announcer led with the day's top stories.
1. To guide a dance partner.
2. To start a dance step on a specified foot.
Baseball To advance a few paces away from one's base toward the next while the pitcher is in the delivery. Used of a base runner.
Sports To begin an attack in boxing with a specified hand or punch: led with a right to the body.

1. The first or foremost position.
2. One occupying such a position; a leader.
3. The initiative: took the lead in setting the pace of the project.
4. Information pointing toward a possible solution; a clue: followed a promising lead in the murder case.
5. An indication of potential opportunity; a tip: a good lead for a job.
6. The principal role in a dramatic production.
7. The person playing such a role.
8. The introductory portion of a news story.
9. An important, usually prominently displayed news story.
10. The first play.
11. The prerogative or turn to make the first play: The lead passes to the player on the left.
12. A card played first in a round.
13. A deposit of gold ore in an old riverbed.
14. See lode.
The margin by which one holds a position of advantage or superiority: held a lead of nine points at the half.
1. Information pointing toward a possible solution; a clue: followed a promising lead in the murder case.
2. An indication of potential opportunity; a tip: a good lead for a job.
3. The principal role in a dramatic production.
4. The person playing such a role.
5. The introductory portion of a news story.
6. An important, usually prominently displayed news story.
7. The first play.
8. The prerogative or turn to make the first play: The lead passes to the player on the left.
9. A card played first in a round.
10. A deposit of gold ore in an old riverbed.
11. See lode.
Command; leadership: took over the lead of the company.
An example; a precedent: followed his sister's lead in running for office.
1. The principal role in a dramatic production.
2. The person playing such a role.
3. The introductory portion of a news story.
4. An important, usually prominently displayed news story.
5. The first play.
6. The prerogative or turn to make the first play: The lead passes to the player on the left.
7. A card played first in a round.
8. A deposit of gold ore in an old riverbed.
9. See lode.
1. The introductory portion of a news story.
2. An important, usually prominently displayed news story.
3. The first play.
4. The prerogative or turn to make the first play: The lead passes to the player on the left.
5. A card played first in a round.
6. A deposit of gold ore in an old riverbed.
7. See lode.
Games
1. The first play.
2. The prerogative or turn to make the first play: The lead passes to the player on the left.
3. A card played first in a round.
4. A deposit of gold ore in an old riverbed.
5. See lode.
Baseball A position taken by a base runner away from one base in the direction of the next.
Sports A blow in boxing that begins a series or exchange of punches.
A leash.
Geology
1. A deposit of gold ore in an old riverbed.
2. See lode.
Electronics A conductor by which one circuit element is electrically connected to another.
Nautical The direction in which a line runs.
The distance aimed in front of a moving target.
A channel of open water created by a break in a mass of ice.

adj.

First or foremost: the lead leg on a surfboard.
Most important: the lead author of a research paper.
To begin; start.
Baseball To be the first batter in an inning.
To keep in a state of expectation or hope; entice.
To mislead; deceive.

Phrasal Verb(s):
lead off

To begin; start.
Baseball To be the first batter in an inning.

lead on

To keep in a state of expectation or hope; entice.
To mislead; deceive.

Idiom(s):
lead the way

To show a course or route by going in advance.
To be foremost in an endeavor or trend: The firm led the way in the application of new technology.

Idiom(s):
lead up to

To result in by a series of steps: events leading up to the coup.
To proceed toward (a main topic) with preliminary remarks.

[Middle English leden, from Old English lǣdan; see leit- in Indo-European roots.]

lead² (lěd)

Symbol Pb A soft, malleable, ductile, bluish-white, dense metallic element, extracted chiefly from galena and used in containers and pipes for corrosives, solder and type metal, bullets, radiation shielding, paints, and antiknock compounds. Atomic number 82; atomic weight 207.2; melting point 327.5°C; boiling point 1,744°C; specific gravity 11.35; valence 2, 4. See Table at element.
A lead weight suspended by a line, used to make soundings.
Bullets from or for firearms; shot: pumped the target full of lead.
leads Strips of lead used to hold the panes of a window.
Abbr. ld. Printing A thin strip of metal used to separate lines of type.
leads Chiefly British A flat roof covered with sheets of lead.
1. Any of various, often graphitic compositions used as the writing substance in pencils.
2. A thin stick of such material.

v. tr. lead·ed, lead·ing, leads

To cover, line, weight, or fill with lead.
Printing To provide space between (lines of type) with leads.
To secure (window glass) with leads.
To treat with lead or a lead compound: leaded gasoline; leaded paint.

[Middle English led, from Old English lēad, probably of Celtic origin.]
lead adj.

lode (lōd)

1. The metalliferous ore that fills a fissure in a rock formation.
2. A vein of mineral ore deposited between clearly demarcated layers of rock. Also called lead¹.
A rich source or supply.

[Middle English, way, load, from Old English lād, way; see leit- in Indo-European roots.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

Lead

Lead\ (l[e^]d), n. [OE. led, leed, lead, AS. le['a]d; akin to D. lood, MHG. l[=o]t, G. loth plummet, sounding lead, small weight, Sw. & Dan. lod. [root]123]

1. (Chem.) One of the elements, a heavy, pliable, inelastic metal, having a bright, bluish color, but easily tarnished. It is both malleable and ductile, though with little tenacity, and is used for tubes, sheets, bullets, etc. Its specific gravity is 11.37. It is easily fusible, forms alloys with other metals, and is an ingredient of solder and type metal. Atomic weight, 206.4. Symbol Pb (L. Plumbum). It is chiefly obtained from the mineral galena, lead sulphide.

2. An article made of lead or an alloy of lead; as: (a) A plummet or mass of lead, used in sounding at sea. (b) (Print.) A thin strip of type metal, used to separate lines of type in printing. (c) Sheets or plates of lead used as a covering for roofs; hence, pl., a roof covered with lead sheets or terne plates.

I would have the tower two stories, and goodly leads upon the top. --Bacon

3. A small cylinder of black lead or plumbago, used in pencils.

Black lead, graphite or plumbago; -- so called from its leadlike appearance and streak. [Colloq.]

Coasting lead, a sounding lead intermediate in weight between a hand lead and deep-sea lead.

Deep-sea lead, the heaviest of sounding leads, used in water exceeding a hundred fathoms in depth. --Ham. Nav. Encyc.

Hand lead, a small lead use for sounding in shallow water.

Krems lead, Kremnitz lead [so called from Krems or Kremnitz, in Austria], a pure variety of white lead, formed into tablets, and called also Krems, or Kremnitz, white, and Vienna white.

Lead arming, tallow put in the hollow of a sounding lead. See To arm the lead (below).

Lead colic. See under Colic.

Lead color, a deep bluish gray color, like tarnished lead.

Lead glance. (Min.) Same as Galena.

Lead line (a) (Med.) A dark line along the gums produced by a deposit of metallic lead, due to lead poisoning. (b) (Naut.) A sounding line.

Lead mill, a leaden polishing wheel, used by lapidaries.

Lead ocher (Min.), a massive sulphur-yellow oxide of lead. Same as Massicot.

Lead pencil, a pencil of which the marking material is graphite (black lead).

Lead plant (Bot.), a low leguminous plant, genus Amorpha (A. canescens), found in the Northwestern United States, where its presence is supposed to indicate lead ore. --Gray.

Lead tree. (a) (Bot.) A West Indian name for the tropical, leguminous tree, Leuc[ae]na glauca; -- probably so called from the glaucous color of the foliage. (b) (Chem.) Lead crystallized in arborescent forms from a solution of some lead salt, as by suspending a strip of zinc in lead acetate.

Mock lead, a miner's term for blende.

Red lead, a scarlet, crystalline, granular powder, consisting of minium when pure, but commonly containing several of the oxides of lead. It is used as a paint or cement and also as an ingredient of flint glass.

Red lead ore (Min.), crocoite.

Sugar of lead, acetate of lead.

To arm the lead, to fill the hollow in the bottom of a sounding lead with tallow in order to discover the nature of the bottom by the substances adhering. --Ham. Nav. Encyc.

To cast, or heave, the lead, to cast the sounding lead for ascertaining the depth of water.

White lead, hydrated carbonate of lead, obtained as a white, amorphous powder, and much used as an ingredient of white paint.

Lead

Lead\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Leaded; p. pr. & vb. n. Leading.]

1. To cover, fill, or affect with lead; as, continuous firing leads the grooves of a rifle.

2. (Print.) To place leads between the lines of; as, to lead a page; leaded matter.

Lead

Lead\ (l[=e]d), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Led (l[e^]d); p. pr. & vb. n. Leading.] [OE. leden, AS. l[=ae]dan (akin to OS. l[=e]dian, D. leiden, G. leiten, Icel. le[imac][eth]a, Sw. leda, Dan. lede), properly a causative fr. AS. li[eth]an to go; akin to OHG. l[imac]dan, Icel. l[imac][eth]a, Goth. lei[thorn]an (in comp.). Cf. Lode, Loath.]

1. To guide or conduct with the hand, or by means of some physical contact connection; as, a father leads a child; a jockey leads a horse with a halter; a dog leads a blind man.

If a blind man lead a blind man, both fall down in the ditch. --Wyclif (Matt. xv. 14.)

They thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill. --Luke iv. 29.

In thy right hand lead with thee The mountain nymph, sweet Liberty. --Milton.

2. To guide or conduct in a certain course, or to a certain place or end, by making the way known; to show the way, esp. by going with or going in advance of. Hence, figuratively: To direct; to counsel; to instruct; as, to lead a traveler; to lead a pupil.

The Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way. --Ex. xiii. 21.

He leadeth me beside the still waters. --Ps. xxiii. 2.

This thought might lead me through the world's vain mask. Content, though blind, had I no better guide. --Milton.

3. To conduct or direct with authority; to have direction or charge of; as, to lead an army, an exploring party, or a search; to lead a political party.

Christ took not upon him flesh and blood that he might conquer and rule nations, lead armies, or possess places. --South.

4. To go or to be in advance of; to precede; hence, to be foremost or chief among; as, the big sloop led the fleet of yachts; the Guards led the attack; Demosthenes leads the orators of all ages.

As Hesperus, that leads the sun his way. --Fairfax.

And lo ! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest. --Leigh Hunt.

5. To draw or direct by influence, whether good or bad; to prevail on; to induce; to entice; to allure; as, to lead one to espouse a righteous cause.

He was driven by the necessities of the times, more than led by his own disposition, to any rigor of actions. --Eikon Basilike.

Silly women, laden with sins,led away by divers lusts. --2 Tim. iii. 6 (Rev. Ver.).

6. To guide or conduct one's self in, through, or along (a certain course); hence, to proceed in the way of; to follow the path or course of; to pass; to spend. Also, to cause (one) to proceed or follow in (a certain course).

That we may lead a quiet and peaceable life. --1 Tim. ii. 2.

Nor thou with shadowed hint confuse A life that leads melodious days. --Tennyson.

You remember . . . the life he used to lead his wife and daughter. --Dickens.

7. (Cards & Dominoes) To begin a game, round, or trick, with; as, to lead trumps; the double five was led.

To lead astray, to guide in a wrong way, or into error; to seduce from truth or rectitude.

To lead captive, to carry or bring into captivity.

To lead the way, to show the way by going in front; to act as guide. --Goldsmith.

Lead

Lead\, v. i. 1. To guide or conduct, as by accompanying, going before, showing, influencing, directing with authority, etc.; to have precedence or pre["e]minence; to be first or chief; -- used in most of the senses of lead, v. t.

2. To tend or reach in a certain direction, or to a certain place; as, the path leads to the mill; gambling leads to other vices.

The mountain foot that leads towards Mantua. --Shak.

To lead off or out, to go first; to begin.

Lead

Lead\, n. 1. The act of leading or conducting; guidance; direction; as, to take the lead; to be under the lead of another.

At the time I speak of, and having a momentary lead, . . . I am sure I did my country important service. --Burke.

2. precedence; advance position; also, the measure of precedence; as, the white horse had the lead; a lead of a boat's length, or of half a second.

3. (Cards & Dominoes) The act or right of playing first in a game or round; the card suit, or piece, so played; as, your partner has the lead.

4. An open way in an ice field. --Kane.

5. (Mining) A lode.

6. (Naut.) The course of a rope from end to end.

7. (Steam Engine) The width of port opening which is uncovered by the valve, for the admission or release of steam, at the instant when the piston is at end of its stroke.

Note: When used alone it means outside lead, or lead for the admission of steam. Inside lead refers to the release or exhaust.

8. (Civil Engineering) the distance of haul, as from a cutting to an embankment.

9. (Horology) The action of a tooth, as a tooth of a wheel, in impelling another tooth or a pallet. --Saunier.

Lead angle (Steam Engine), the angle which the crank maker with the line of centers, in approaching it, at the instant when the valve opens to admit steam.

Lead screw (Mach.), the main longitudinal screw of a lathe, which gives the feed motion to the carriage.

Lead

Lead\, n. 1. (Music.) (a) The announcement by one voice part of a theme to be repeated by the other parts. (b) A mark or a short passage in one voice part, as of a canon, serving as a cue for the entrance of others.

2. In an internal-combustion engine, the distance, measured in actual length of piston stroke or the corresponding angular displacement of the crank, of the piston from the end of the compression stroke when ignition takes place; -- called in full

lead of the ignition. When ignition takes place during the working stroke the corresponding distance from the commencement of the stroke is called

negative lead.

3. (Mach.) The excess above a right angle in the angle between two consecutive cranks, as of a compound engine, on the same shaft.

4. (Mach.) In spiral screw threads, worm wheels, or the like, the amount of advance of any point in the spiral for a complete turn.

5. (Elec.) (a) A conductor conveying electricity, as from a dynamo. (b) The angle between the line joining the brushes of a continuous-current dynamo and the diameter symmetrical between the poles. (c) The advance of the current phase in an alternating circuit beyond that of the electromotive force producing it.

6. (Theat.) A r[^o]le for a leading man or leading woman; also, one who plays such a r[^o]le.

Language Translation for : Lead

Spanish: llevar, conducir,

German: führen,

Japanese: 導く

More Translations »

lead (v.)

"to guide," O.E. lædan "cause to go with one, lead," causative of liðan "to travel," from W.Gmc. *laithjan (cf. O.S. lithan, O.N. liða "to go," O.H.G. ga-lidan "to travel," Goth. ga-leiþan "to go"). Meaning "to be in first place" is from c.1380. The noun is first recorded c.1300, "action of leading." Meaning "the front or leading place" is from 1570. Johnson stigmatized it as "a low, despicable word." Sense in card-playing is from 1742; in theater, from 1831; in journalism, from 1927; in jazz bands, from 1934. Leader "one who leads" is from c.1300; as shortened form of leading article (1807) "prominent newspaper piece giving editorial opinion" it dates from 1837. Leadership first attested 1821.

lead (n.)

"heavy metal," O.E. lead, from W.Gmc. *loudhom (cf. O.Fris. lad, M.Du. loot "lead," Ger. Lot "weight, plummet"). The name and the skill in using the metal seem to have been borrowed from the Celts (cf. O.Ir. luaide, probably from PIE base *plou(d)- "to flow"). Black lead was an old name for "graphite," hence lead pencil (1688) and the colloquial fig. phrase to have lead in one's pencil "be possessed of (esp. male sexual) vigor," first attested 1941 in Australian slang. Adjective form leaden is a relic of O.E. The fig. sense of "heavy, oppressive, dull" is first attested 1577. Lead balloon "a failure" is from 1960, Amer.Eng. slang. Lead-footed "slow" is from 1896; opposite sense of "fast" emerged 1940s in trucker's jargon, from notion of a foot heavy on the gas pedal.

Main Entry: lead
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Forms: led; lead·ing
: to suggest the desired answer to (a witness) by asking leading questions

Main Entry: lead
Function: noun
: something serving as a tip, indication, or clue lead in the murder investigation>

Main Entry: ¹lead
Pronunciation: 'lEd
Function: noun
: a flexible or solid insulated conductor connected to or leading out from an electricaldevice (as an electroencephalograph)

Main Entry: ²lead
Pronunciation: 'led
Function: noun
often attributive 1 : a heavy soft malleable ductile plastic but inelasticbluish white metallic element found mostly in combination and used especially in pipes, cable sheaths, batteries, solder, type metal, and shields against radioactivity —symbol Pb;—see ELEMENT table
2 : WHITELEAD
3 : TETRAETHYL LEAD

lead ¹ (lēd)
n.

Any of the conductors designed to detect changes in electrical potential when situated in or on the body and connected to an instrument that registers and records these changes, such as an electrocardiograph.
A record made from the current supplied by one of these conductors.

lead ² (lěd)
n.
Symbol Pb
A soft ductile dense metallic element. Atomic number 82; atomic weight 207.19; melting point 327.5°C; boiling point 1,749deg;C; specific gravity 11.35; valence 2, 4.

lead (lěd) Pronunciation Key
Symbol Pb
A soft, ductile, heavy, bluish-gray metallic element that is extracted chiefly from galena. It is very durable and resistant to corrosion and is a poor conductor of electricity. Lead is used to make radiation shielding and containers for corrosive substances. It was once commonly used in pipes, solder, roofing, paint, and antiknock compounds in gasoline, but its use in these products has been curtailed because of its toxicity. Atomic number 82; atomic weight 207.2; melting point 327.5°C; boiling point 1,744°C; specific gravity 11.35; valence 2, 4. See Periodic Table. See Note at element.

lead

In addition to the idioms beginning with lead, also see all roads lead to Rome; blind leading the blind; get the lead out of; go over (like a lead balloon); put lead in one's pencil; you can lead a horse to water.

Lead

city, Lawrence county, western South Dakota, U.S. It lies in the northern Black Hills, about 40 miles (65 km) northwest of Rapid City, at an elevation of 5,280 feet (1,609 metres). Situated just southwest of Deadwood, it is built on the steep inclines of the hills. It was established in 1876 following the discovery of gold by Fred and Moses Manuel, and its name was inspired by the lode mines in the area, an outcrop of ore being termed a "lead." Lead was South Dakota's largest city at the time of statehood in 1889. The city lost a major aspect of its economy with the closing of the Homestake Gold Mine (opened 1876), which was the world's oldest continuously operating gold mine until it closed in 2001; chemist Raymond Davis received the 2002 Nobel Prize for Physics for his work in detecting neutrinos in a laboratory in the mine. Tourism, based primarily on the more than 80 gambling halls in Deadwood (where gambling was legalized in 1989), is now an economic mainstay. Some ranching and lumbering also take place in the area. Lead is surrounded by Black Hills National Forest and has many outdoor recreational opportunities, including two ski areas. The Black Hills Mining Museum has a simulation of an underground gold mine. Inc. 1890. Pop. (1990) 3,632; (2000) 3,027.

Learn more about Lead with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Cite This Source

Search another word or see Lead on Thesaurus | Reference

MLM Leads that Work
Fresh/Responsive leads, low prices. Full replacement for any bad lead.

www.mlmleadspecialist.com

Leads
Find Providers of Sales Leads Generation on Business.com.

www.business.com

Effective Sales Leads
Qualified Leads for Your Business! Free Quote - 20% Off - $500 Minimum

www.CenturyList.com

About · Privacy Policy · Terms of Use · Advertise with Us · Link to Us · NASCAR® · Contact Us