Definitions for leading

• Definition
• Anagrams (278)

leading lead·ing

Spelling: [lee-ding]

IPA: /ˈli dɪŋ/

Leading is a 7 letter English word. It's valid Scrabble word worth 9 points. It's valid Words with friends word worth 12 points.

You can make 278 anagrams from letters in leading (adegiln).

Definitions for leading

noun

1. the act of a person or thing that leads.
2. a covering or framing of lead:
3. Printing. lead2 (def 7).
4. the first or foremost place; position in advance of others:
5. the extent of such an advance position:
6. a person or thing that leads.
7. a leash.
8. a suggestion or piece of information that helps to direct or guide; tip; clue:
9. a guide or indication of a road, course, method, etc., to follow.
10. precedence; example; leadership:
11. Theater. the principal part in a play. the person who plays it.
12. Cards. the act or right of playing first, as in a round. the card, suit, etc., so played.
13. Journalism. a short summary serving as an introduction to a news story, article, or other copy. the main and often most important news story.
14. Electricity. an often flexible and insulated single conductor, as a wire, used in connections between pieces of electric apparatus.
15. the act of taking the offensive.
16. Nautical. the direction of a rope, wire, or chain. Also called leader. any of various devices for guiding a running rope.
17. 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.
18. an open channel through a field of ice.
19. Mining. a lode. an auriferous deposit in an old riverbed.
20. the act of aiming a gun ahead of a moving target.
21. the distance ahead of a moving target that a gun must be aimed in order to score a direct hit.
22. Baseball. an act or instance of leading.
23. Manège. (of a horse at a canter or gallop) the foreleg that consistently extends beyond and strikes the ground ahead of the other foreleg:
24. 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.
25. something made of this metal or of one of its alloys.
26. a plummet or mass of lead suspended by a line, as for taking soundings.
27. bullets collectively; shot.
28. black lead or graphite.
29. a small stick of graphite, as used in pencils.
30. Also, leading. Printing. a thin strip of type metal or brass less than type-high, used for increasing the space between lines of type.
31. a grooved bar of lead or came in which sections of glass are set, as in stained-glass windows.
32. leads, British. a roof, especially one that is shallow or flat, covered with lead.
33. white lead.

Idioms

1. lead someone a chase / dance, to cause someone difficulty by forcing to do irksome or unnecessary things.
2. lead the way. way1 (def 34).
3. lead up to, to prepare the way for. to approach (a subject, disclosure, etc.) gradually or evasively:
4. get the lead out, Slang. to move or work faster; hurry up.
5. heave the lead, Nautical. to take a sounding with a lead.
6. go over like a lead balloon, Slang. to fail to arouse interest, enthusiasm, or support.

adjective

1. chief; principal; most important; foremost:
2. coming in advance of others; first:
3. directing, guiding.
4. most important; principal; leading; first:
5. Football. (of a forward pass) thrown ahead of the intended receiver so as to allow him to catch it while running.
6. Baseball. (of a base runner) nearest to scoring:
7. made of or containing lead:

Verb phrases

1. lead off, to take the initiative; begin. Baseball. to be the first player in the batting order or the first batter in an inning.
2. lead on, to induce to follow an unwise course of action; mislead. to cause or encourage to believe something that is not true.
3. lead out, to make a beginning. to escort a partner to begin a dance:

verb (used with object)

1. to go before or with to show the way; conduct or escort:
2. to conduct by holding and guiding:
3. to influence or induce; cause:
4. to guide in direction, course, action, opinion, etc.; bring:
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:
7. to take or bring:
8. to command or direct (an army or other large organization):
9. to go at the head of or in advance of (a procession, list, body, etc.); proceed first in:
10. to be superior to; have the advantage over:
11. to have top position or first place in:
12. to have the directing or principal part in:
13. to act as leader of (an orchestra, band, etc.); conduct.
14. to go through or pass (time, life, etc.):
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):
18. to cover, line, weight, treat, or impregnate with lead or one of its compounds.
19. Printing. to insert leads between the lines of.
20. to fix (window glass) in position with leads.

verb (used without object)

1. to act as a guide; show the way:
2. to afford passage to a place:
3. to go first; be in advance:
4. to result in; tend toward (usually followed by to):
5. to take the directing or principal part.
6. to take the offensive:
7. Cards. to make the first play.
8. to be led or submit to being led, as a horse:
9. 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).
10. lead back, to play (a card) from a suit that one's partner led.

Origin of leading

1250-1300; Middle English (noun); see lead¹, -ing², -ing¹

Examples for leading

At various times, Hitchcock has considered all the major players for the two leading roles.

It thinks that the Herald is not the leading paper, though it may have Ben-it.

“Voters knew about this and seemed not to care,” said Roy Moskowitz, a leading Democratic consultant on Staten Island.

Where can I have access to old files of the leading news-papers?

He was a leading presidential contender in 1988 and 1992, but never formally entered the race.

How could it care for a fellow's happiness, or even for his leading a correct life!

I followed after his tracks, leading the two poor done-up horses.

They will be in our next experience as they have been in this, leading us on from strength to strength.

Jay, the main witness for the state, is leading a relatively normal life, though that probably has all changed with Serial.

Groups like CAIR and leading intellectuals and imams have been denouncing acts like these for years.