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:
“The state is the lead in this investigation, has always been the lead,” a spokesman said in a statement.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
McQuade is a former employee at the open-source AI platform Hugging Face who previously rose from field technician to Amazon Web Services team lead at Unity Connected Solutions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
Globally, less than 2% of the population are thought to have red hair but Kieran's research lead him to believe the US figure is higher than that.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
For established software companies, charging a client solely based on how many of its employees use the technology is no longer a viable solution, because AI-powered efficiency gains could lead firms to lay off workers.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 1, 2026
I flick the light switch off, lead them to the open garage door, and pause.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Purja was leading them up Broad Peak, the 12th-highest mountain in the world at 26,400 feet, part of the Karakoram mountain range.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026
After scoring 23 goals from 23 shots, Nweke missed just before half-time to leave the two-time winners leading 29-24, with hope remaining for a comeback for Anna Stembridge's side.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 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
One leading idea is that evolution reused biological systems that already existed.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 1, 2026
I admire that he got a PhD and became a professor, and now he’s a leading expert on literature from the Midwest.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
The video led viewers on an eight-minute tour of Savannah’s past.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
The post-financial-crisis era of easy money has led to repeated booms and busts in small, and sometimes not-so-small, parts of the market in the past 15 years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
It led them on a mile-long chase, ending in the 2400 block of Wandering Ridge Drive, where they ordered the driver and a passenger out of the vehicle.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026
He also noted that a retired professor had previously raised concerns about Arday's subsequent academic articles, which led to two journals issuing correction notes.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
But these thoughts led to such despair that I soon learned not to give in to them.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Vocabulary lists containing lead
Black and Gray
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Journalism
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Theater - Introductory
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