lead
Usage
What are other ways to say lead?
To lead is to bring onward in a course, guiding by contact or by going in advance; hence, figuratively, to influence or induce to some course of conduct: to lead a procession; to lead astray. Guide implies continuous presence or agency in showing or indicating a course: to guide a traveler. To conduct is to precede or escort them to a place, sometimes with a degree of ceremony: to conduct a guest to his room. To direct is to give information for guidance, or instructions or orders for a course of procedure: to direct someone to the station.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
In July, Nanos promoted Stivers, the lead homicide detective on the case, to lieutenant, which will take effect in September, according to people familiar with the matter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
While Kuwaki becomes the 43rd different winner in 50 editions of the Women's Open, Noh is the first to have held a three-stroke lead after 54 holes and failed to win the championship.
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2026
This relentless activity places strain on the DNA and can lead to serious breaks.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 2, 2026
Around 2 p.m., the sheriff’s department lead supervisor on the scene texted Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos, alerting him to a missing-person case.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
‘We keep walking. And, Mimi, take that scared look off your face. Follow my lead.’
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
Granado’s family was still trying to “piece together the timeline of what exactly happened to Dave in the hours leading up to being transported to the hospital,” according to the fundraiser.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
She tells the paper schools have been in a "straitjacket" of prioritising academic subjects, leading to many young people being "left behind", with a million currently not in training or work.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
Trinity Large is still much smaller than the top AI models and trails models from Anthropic and OpenAI on many leading benchmarks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
Detectives said DNA evidence, surveillance footage and other forensic material remain under review, and more than $1 million in reward money is still being offered for information leading to a breakthrough.
From Salon ● Aug. 1, 2026
The Japanese destroyed or damaged three navy cruisers, three destroyers, an anti-aircraft training ship, and one minelayer, leading our nation into World War II. One hundred eighty-eight US aircraft were destroyed.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
The Covid-19 pandemic led to a vast reduction in the paperwork needed to access benefits.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
It worked as Finucane led a Welsh cycling medal charge in Glasgow with 11 podium positions.
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2026
Though this focus sometimes led critics to allege that Cook was the wrong man for the job, in each case, he got the last laugh.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 2, 2026
An international research team led by Hiroshima University confirmed the galactic accelerator after combining observations from three major observatories operating on Earth and in space.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 2, 2026
Ma led her upstairs to our sitting room.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
Vocabulary lists containing lead
Black and Gray
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Journalism
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Theater - Introductory
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