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 followed 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 followed by away ).
27.
lead back, to play (a card) from a suit that one's partner led.
00:10
Lead is one of our favorite verbs.
So is lollygag. Does it mean:
to chew (food) slowly and thoroughly.
to spend time idly; loaf.
LEARN MORE FUN, UNUSUAL VERBS WITH WORD DYNAMO...
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.
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/dance, to cause someone difficulty by forcing to do irksome or unnecessary things.
55.
lead the way. way1 ( def 34 ).
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:
before 900; Middle English leden, Old English lǣdan (causative of līthan to go, travel); cognate with Dutch leiden, German leiten, Old Norse leitha

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

Antonyms
1. follow.
Dictionary.com Unabridged

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, especially 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, especially 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:
before 900; Middle English lede, Old English lēad; cognate with Dutch lood, Old Frisian lād lead, German Lot plummet

Related forms
lead·less, adjective

Synonyms
3. weight, plumb.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To lead
Collins
World English Dictionary
lead1 (liːd) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—vb (when intr, foll by to) (foll by with) (foll by to) , leads, leading, led
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.  (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.  to have as the first or principal item: the newspaper led with the royal birth
12.  music
 a.  (Brit) to play first violin in (an orchestra)
 b.  (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)
 a.  to pass or spend: I lead a miserable life
 b.  to cause to pass a life of a particular kind: to lead a person a dog's life
15.  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.  lead astray to mislead so as to cause error or wrongdoing
20.  lead by the nose See nose
 
—n
21.  a.  the first, foremost, or most prominent place
 b.  (as modifier): lead singer
22.  example, precedence, or leadership: the class followed the teacher's lead
23.  an advance or advantage held over others: the runner had a lead of twenty yards
24.  anything that guides or directs; indication; clue
25.  another name for leash
26.  the act or prerogative of playing the first card in a round of cards or the card so played
27.  the principal role in a play, film, etc, or the person playing such a role
28.  a.  the principal news story in a newspaper: the scandal was the lead in the papers
 b.  the opening paragraph of a news story
 c.  (as modifier): lead story
29.  music an important entry assigned to one part usually at the beginning of a movement or section
30.  a wire, cable, or other conductor for making an electrical connection
31.  boxing
 a.  one's habitual attacking punch
 b.  a blow made with this
32.  nautical the direction in which a rope runs
33.  a deposit of metal or ore; lode
34.  the firing of a gun, missile, etc, ahead of a moving target to correct for the time of flight of the projectile
 
[Old English lǣdan; related to līthan to travel, Old High German līdan to go]

lead2 (lɛd) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
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°CRelated: plumbic, plumbeous, plumbous
2.  a lead weight suspended on a line used to take soundings of the depth of water
3.  swing the lead to malinger or make up excuses
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)
 a.  thin sheets or strips of lead used as a roof covering
 b.  a flat or low-pitched roof covered with such sheets
7.  printing Compare reglet a thin strip of type metal used for spacing between lines of hot-metal type
8.  a.  graphite or a mixture containing graphite, clay, etc, used for drawing
 b.  a thin stick of this material, esp the core of a pencil
9.  (modifier) of, consisting of, relating to, or containing lead
10.  go down like a lead balloon See balloon
 
—vb
11.  to fill or treat with lead
12.  to surround, cover, or secure with lead or leads
13.  printing to space (type) by use of leads
 
Related: plumbic, plumbeous, plumbous
 
[Old English; related to Dutch lood, German Lot]
 
'leadless2
 
—adj
 
'leady2
 
—adj

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

lead
"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 late 14c. The noun is first recorded c.1300,
"action of leading." Meaning "the front or leading place" is from 1560s. 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.

lead
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 (1680s) and the colloquial figurative phrase to have lead in one's pencil "be possessed of (esp. male sexual) vigor," first attested 1941 in Australian slang. 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.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

lead 1 (lēd)
n.

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Science Dictionary
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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

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.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia

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
Partners:WordBloglinesCitysearchThe Daily BeastAsk AnswersAsk KidsLife123SendoriHome Advisor
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
About PRIVACY POLICY Terms API Careers Advertise with Us Contact Us Suggest a Word Help
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature
FAVORITES
RECENT