lead up to

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.

"We always find that the lead up to these days are worse, because you see everything on socials, you get the emails, you see the adverts about the occasion coming up," she said.

From BBC • Mar. 15, 2026

That result during the critical lead up to Christmas led the maker of Barbie dolls and Hot Wheels cars to post sales and profit below Wall Street expectations in the fourth quarter.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 10, 2026

We’ve seen this a lot with the lead up to the ICE crackdowns, for example.

From Salon • Jan. 20, 2026

“With new sales growth waning especially sharply in the lead up to the holiday season, economic activity may soften further as we head into 2026,” said Chris Williamson, chief business economist at S&P Global.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 16, 2025

Two steps lead up to a black door that has no knob, just a gold keyhole in the center.

From "Dragons in a Bag" by Zetta Elliott