to go before or with to show the way; conduct or escort

to lead a group on a cross-country hike.

to conduct by holding and guiding

to lead a horse by a rope.

to influence or induce; cause

Subsequent events led him to reconsider his position.

to guide in direction, course, action, opinion, etc.; bring

You can lead her around to your point of view if you are persistent.

to conduct or bring (water, wire, etc.) in a particular course.

(of a road, passage, etc.) to serve to bring (a person) to a place

The first street on the left will lead you to Andrews Place.

to take or bring

The prisoners were led into the warden's office.

to command or direct (an army or other large organization)

He led the Allied forces during the war.

to go at the head of or in advance of (a procession, list, body, etc.); proceed first in

The mayor will lead the parade.

to be superior to; have the advantage over

The first baseman leads his teammates in runs batted in.

to have top position or first place in

Iowa leads the nation in corn production.

to have the directing or principal part in

The minister will now lead us in prayer. He led a peace movement.

to act as leader of (an orchestra, band, etc.); conduct.

to go through or pass (time, life, etc.)

to lead a full life.

Cards . to begin a round, game, etc., with (a card or suit specified).

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.

Football . to throw a lead pass to (an intended receiver)

The quarterback led the left end.

to act as a guide; show the way

You lead and we'll follow.

to afford passage to a place

That path leads directly to the house.

to go first; be in advance

The band will lead and the troops will follow.

to result in; tend toward (usually fol. by to )

The incident led to his resignation. One remark often leads to another.

to take the directing or principal part.

to take the offensive

The contender led with a right to the body.

Cards . to make the first play.

to be led or submit to being led, as a horse

A properly trained horse will lead easily.

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 fol. by away ).

lead back, to play (a card) from a suit that one's partner led.

the first or foremost place; position in advance of others

He took the lead in the race.

the extent of such an advance position

He had a lead of four lengths.

a person or thing that leads.

a leash.

a suggestion or piece of information that helps to direct or guide; tip; clue

I got a lead on a new job. The phone list provided some great sales leads.

a guide or indication of a road, course, method, etc., to follow.

precedence; example; leadership

They followed the lead of the capital in their fashions.

Theater .

the principal part in a play.

the person who plays it.

Cards .

the act or right of playing first, as in a round.

the card, suit, etc., so played.

Journalism .

a short summary serving as an introduction to a news story, article, or other copy.

the main and often most important news story.

Electricity . an often flexible and insulated single conductor, as a wire, used in connections between pieces of electric apparatus.

the act of taking the offensive.

Nautical .

the direction of a rope, wire, or chain.

Also called leader. any of various devices for guiding a running rope.

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.

an open channel through a field of ice.

Mining .

a lode.

an auriferous deposit in an old riverbed.

the act of aiming a gun ahead of a moving target.

the distance ahead of a moving target that a gun must be aimed in order to score a direct hit.

Baseball . an act or instance of leading.

Manège . (of a horse at a canter or gallop) the foreleg that consistently extends beyond and strikes the ground ahead of the other foreleg

The horse is cantering on the left lead.

most important; principal; leading; first

lead editorial; lead elephant.

Football . (of a forward pass) thrown ahead of the intended receiver so as to allow him to catch it while running.

Baseball . (of a base runner) nearest to scoring

They forced the lead runner at third base on an attempted sacrifice.

lead off,

to take the initiative; begin.

Baseball . to be the first player in the batting order or the first batter in an inning.

lead on,

to induce to follow an unwise course of action; mislead.

to cause or encourage to believe something that is not true.

lead out,

to make a beginning.

to escort a partner to begin a dance

He led her out and they began a rumba.

lead someone a chase or dance

to cause someone difficulty by forcing to do irksome or unnecessary things.

lead the way. way ( def. 35 ) .

lead up to

to prepare the way for.

to approach (a subject, disclosure, etc.) gradually or evasively

I could tell by her allusions that she was leading up to something.

noun

last

verb

follow , comply , consent , obey , fall behind , lose

noun

advance , advantage , ahead , bulge , cutting edge * , direction , edge , example , facade , front rank , guidance , head , heavy , leadership , margin , model , over , pilot , point , precedence , primacy , principal , priority , protagonist , spark , star , start , title role , top , top spot , vanguard , evidence , guide , hint , indication , proof , sign , suggestion , tip , trace , conductor , director , escort , leader , shepherd , usher , clue , scent , management , command , blende (mock lead) , graphite , plumb , plumbago , plumbago (black lead) , plumbum (chem.) , plummet

verb

accompany , attend , be responsible for , chaperone , coerce , compel , conduct , convey , convoy , direct , drive , escort , find a way , force , get , go along with , guard , impel , induce , manage , pass along , persuade , pilot , point out , point the way , precede , prevail , protect , quarterback , route , safeguard , see , shepherd , show , show around , show in , show the way , span , squire , steer , traverse , usher , watch over , affect , bring , bring on , call the shots * , cause , command , conduce , contribute , convert , dispose , draw , get the jump on , go out in front , govern , head , helm , incline , introduce , motivate , move , preside over , produce , prompt , result in , run things , serve , spearhead * , spur , supervise , tend , trail-blaze , be ahead , blaze a trail , come first , exceed , excel , outdo , outstrip , preface , transcend , carry , go , reach , run , stretch , captain , live , pass , pursue , usher in , actuate , advantage , ahead , allure , clue , element , entice , evidence , first , graphite , guide , have charge of , have precedence , headliner , influence , instruct , lode , metal , pioneer , principal , sign , spearhead , star , surpass

phrasal verb

approach , begin , commence , embark , enter , get off , inaugurate , initiate , institute , launch , open , set about , set out , set to , take on , take up , undertake , bring , bring about , bring on , effect , effectuate , generate , induce , ingenerate , make , occasion , result in , secure , set off , stir , touch off , trigger