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A Writer's Dictionary:

lead Definition


Dictionary Home » Words Starting with L » lay something down ... leaf insect » lead


lead1
verb led, leading
    tr & intr
    1. To guide by going in front.
      Thesaurus: guide, conduct, escort, usher, pilot, steer.
    2. To precede.
    3. To guide or make someone or something go in a certain direction by holding or pulling with the hand, etc.
    4. To guide.
    5. To conduct.
    6. To induce.
      Thesaurus: influence, induce, prompt, sway, incline, cause.
    7. To cause to live or experience.
    tr & intr
    8. To direct or be in control (of something).
      Thesaurus: direct, govern, command, preside over, supervise, manage, chair, run.
    9. To make someone act, feel or think in a certain way.
    10. To live, pass or experience.
      Example: lead a miserable existence
    tr & intr
    11. To go or take someone in a certain direction.
      Example: The road leads to the village
    tr & intr
    12. To be foremost or first; to be the most important or influential in (a group) in a particular field.
      Example: They lead the world in engineering
      Thesaurus: exceed, excel, surpass, outperform; Antonym: lag.
    intr
    14. Said of a newspaper: to have (a particular story) as its most important article.
      Example: The tabloids all lead with the latest atrocity
      Form: lead with (usually)
      Form: lead on
    (Brit)
    15. To be the leader of (an orchestra).
    16. To conduct liquid along a channel or course.
    tr & intr
    17. cards.
      To begin a round of cards by playing (the first card, especially of a particular suit).
    18. Scots law.
      To adduce.
    19. To cart crops to the farmyard.
      Form: lead in (often)
noun
    1. An instance of guidance given by leading.
    2. The first, leading, or most prominent place; leadership.
    3. The amount by which someone or something, etc is in front of others in a race, contest, etc.
      Example: had a lead of about a metre
    4. A strap or chain for leading or holding a dog, etc.
    5. An initial clue or piece of information which might help solve a problem, mystery, etc.
      Thesaurus: clue, hint.
    6. The principal part in a play, film, etc; the actor playing this role.
    7. The most important story in a newspaper.
    8. A precedent or example.
    9. Precedence.
    10. An indication.
    11. Direction.
    12. Initiative.
    13. A wire or conductor taking electricity from a source to an appliance.
    14. cards.
      The act or right of playing first, the first card played or the play of someone who plays first.
    15. The first player in some team sports and games.
    16. A watercourse leading to a mill.
    17. A channel through ice.
    18. A main conductor in electrical distribution.
Idiom: lead someone astray
    To entice them into a wrong or misguided course.
Idiom: lead someone by the nose
    To force them to follow.
Idiom: lead someone a (merry) dance
Idiom: lead someone up the garden path
Idiom: lead the life of Riley
    To have an easy life.
Idiom: lead the way
    To go first, especially to guide others.
Etymology: Anglo-Saxon lædan.

Phrasal Verb: lead off
    To begin.
Phrasal Verb: lead someone on
    To persuade them to go further than intended.To deceive or mislead them.
Phrasal Verb: lead someone or something out
    To bring them or it out by preceding.
      Example: led the team out to tremendous applause
Phrasal Verb: lead to something
    To result in it.
Phrasal Verb: lead up to something
    To approach (a topic of conversation) reluctantly or by gradual steps or stages.
      Example: leading up to the question of money
    To be an underlying cause of it.
      Example: Persistent lateness lead up to his dismissal



lead2
noun
    1. (symbol Pb, atomic number 82) a soft, heavy, bluish-grey, highly toxic metallic element that is resistant to corrosion, used in the building and roofing trades, as a protective shielding against radiation and as a component of high-quality glass and numerous alloys.
    2. Graphite.
    3. A thin stick of graphite, or some other coloured substance, used in pencils.
    4. A lump of lead used for measuring the depth of the water, especially at sea.
    5. A sheet of lead for covering roofs; a roof covered with lead sheets.
      Form: leads
    6. A lead frame for a small window-pane, eg in stained glass windows.
    7. A lead weight or piece of lead shot used at the end of a fishing line and in cartridges.
adj
    1. Made of lead.
verb leaded, leading
    1. To fit or surround with lead.
    2. To cover or weight with lead.
    3. To set (eg window panes) in lead.
    4. printing.
      To separate (type) with lead or leads.
Derivative: leading
    See separate entry.
Idiom: go down like a lead balloon
    facetious
    To be spectacularly unsuccessful.
Etymology: Anglo-Saxon.



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