Advertisement
Advertisement
leading light
[ lee-ding ]
noun
- an important or influential person:
a leading light of the community.
leading light
/ ˈliːdɪŋ /
noun
- an important or outstanding person, esp in an organization or cause
- See range lightnautical a less common term for range light
Discover More
Word History and Origins
Origin of leading light1
Discover More
Idioms and Phrases
An important or influential individual, as in Jim was a leading light in his community . This expression, alluding to moral guidance, dates from about 1870, but terms such as a shining light have been used for an outstanding person since the first half of the 1500s.Discover More
Example Sentences
President Obama delivered a soaring eulogy for the late Richard Holbrooke today, calling him a "leading light" of U.S. diplomacy.
Phil May was a leading light of the society, and the grimy and bedaubed plaster laughed with his conceits at every turn.
Since Guerrita, not a single matador of leading light has arisen.
One of them, the leading light of the local Nationalist party, is rated at £8.
Mr. Waldron: These people will think North Dakota is a dark place if this is a leading light.
In due time he would become a leading light and go to Congress.
Advertisement
Word of the Day
[gal-uh-maw-free ]
Meaning and examplesStart each day with the Word of the Day in your inbox!
By clicking "Sign Up", you are accepting Dictionary.com Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policies.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Browse