Lead definition

Lead as a noun

1. an advantage held by a competitor in a race

   "he took the lead at the last turn"

2. evidence pointing to a possible solution

   "the police are following a promising lead"

   Same sense: track, trail

3. a position of being the initiator of something and an example that others will follow (especially in the phrase ‘take the lead’)

   "he takes the lead in any group"

4. the angle between the direction a gun is aimed and the position of a moving target (correcting for the flight time of the missile)

5. the introductory section of a story

   "it was an amusing lead-in to a very serious matter"

   Same sense: lead-in, lede

6. (sports) the score by which a team or individual is winning

7. an actor who plays a principal role

   Same sense: star, principal

8. (baseball) the position taken by a base runner preparing to advance to the next base

   "he took a long lead off first"

9. an indication of potential opportunity

   "a good lead for a job"

   Same sense: wind, tip, hint, confidential information, steer

10. a news story of major importance

    Same sense: lead story

11. the timing of ignition relative to the position of the piston in an internal-combustion engine

    Same sense: spark advance

12. restraint consisting of a rope (or light chain) used to restrain an animal

    Same sense: leash, tether

13. thin strip of metal used to separate lines of type in printing

    Same sense: leading

14. a jumper that consists of a short piece of wire

    "it was a tangle of jumper cables and clip leads"

    Same sense: jumper lead, jumper cable, booster cable

15. the playing of a card to start a trick in bridge

    "the lead was in the dummy"

16. a soft heavy toxic malleable metallic element; bluish white when freshly cut but tarnishes readily to dull grey

    "the children were playing with lead soldiers"

17. mixture of graphite with clay in different degrees of hardness; the marking substance in a pencil

    Same sense: pencil lead

Lead as a verb

18. take somebody somewhere

    Same sense: take, direct, guide, conduct

19. produce as a result or residue

    Same sense: leave, result

20. tend to or result in

21. travel in front of; go in advance of others

    Same sense: head

22. cause to undertake a certain action

23. stretch out over a distance, space, time, or scope; run or extend between two points or beyond a certain point

    Same sense: go, run, pass, extend

24. be in charge of

    Same sense: head

25. be ahead of others; be the first

    Same sense: top

26. be conducive to

    Same sense: contribute, conduce

27. lead, as in the performance of a composition

    Same sense: direct, conduct

28. lead, extend, or afford access

    Same sense: go

29. move ahead (of others) in time or space

    Same sense: precede

30. cause something to pass or lead somewhere

    Same sense: run

31. preside over

    Same sense: chair, moderate

Synonyms and antonyms

• track
• trail
• lead-in
• lede
• star definition
• principal
• wind
• tip
• hint
• confidential information
• steer
• lead story
• spark advance
• leash
• tether
• leading
• jumper lead
• jumper cable
• booster cable
• pencil lead
• take definition
• direct
• guide
• conduct

Opposite: deficit.

How to say lead

Lead has 1 syllable and rhymes with said. Syllable counts and rhymes come from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary.

Words that rhyme with lead

• said
• read
• head
• red
• instead
• dead
• led
• bed
• ahead
• spread
• ed
• fed

LEAD in word games

Scrabble

5

Words With Friends

6

Anagrams

3

Is LEAD a valid Scrabble word? Yes, it is in the ENABLE list most word games use. Check LEAD in the word checker, or unscramble LEAD to see its 3 anagrams and the shorter words in its letters.