1. (

• lead ,
• leading

) thin strip of metal used to separate lines of type in printing ;

2. (

• leadership ,
• leading

) the activity of leading; "his leadership inspired the team" ;

1. (

• lead ,
• take ,
• direct ,
• conduct ,
• guide

) take somebody somewhere; "We lead him to our chief"; "can you take me to the main entrance?"; "He conducted us to the palace" ;

2. (

• leave ,
• result ,
• lead ,

) produce as a result or residue; "The water left a mark on the silk dress"; "Her blood left a stain on the napkin" ;

3. (

• lead ,

) tend to or result in; "This remark lead to further arguments among the guests" ;

4. (

• lead ,
• head ,

) travel in front of; go in advance of others; "The procession was headed by John" ;

5. (

• lead

) cause to undertake a certain action; "Her greed led her to forge the checks" ;

6. (

• run ,
• go ,
• pass ,
• lead ,
• extend ,

) stretch out over a distance, space, time, or scope; run or extend between two points or beyond a certain point; "Service runs all the way to Cranbury"; "His knowledge doesn't go very far"; "My memory extends back to my fourth year of life"; "The facts extend beyond a consideration of her personal assets" ;

7. (

• head ,
• lead

) be in charge of; "Who is heading this project?" ;

8. (

• lead ,
• top ,

) be ahead of others; be the first; "she topped her class every year" ;

9. (

• contribute ,
• lead ,
• conduce ,

) be conducive to; "The use of computers in the classroom lead to better writing" ;

10. (

• conduct ,
• lead ,
• direct ,

) lead, as in the performance of a composition; "conduct an orchestra; Barenboim conducted the Chicago symphony for years" ;

11. (

• go ,
• lead ,

) lead, extend, or afford access; "This door goes to the basement"; "The road runs South" ;

12. (

• precede ,
• lead ,

) move ahead (of others) in time or space ;

13. (

• run ,
• lead ,

) cause something to pass or lead somewhere; "Run the wire behind the cabinet" ;

14. (

• moderate ,
• chair ,
• lead ,

) preside over; "John moderated the discussion" ;

1. (

• leading ,
• prima ,
• star ,
• starring ,
• stellar

) indicating the most important performer or role; "the leading man"; "prima ballerina"; "prima donna"; "a star figure skater"; "the starring role"; "a stellar role"; "a stellar performance" ;

2. (

• leading ,
• preeminent

) greatest in importance or degree or significance or achievement; "our greatest statesmen"; "the country's leading poet"; "a preeminent archeologist" ;

3. (

• leading

) going or proceeding or going in advance; showing the way; "we rode in the leading car"; "the leading edge of technology" ;

4. (

• ahead ,
• in_the_lead ,
• leading

) having the leading position or higher score in a contest; "he is ahead by a pawn"; "the leading team in the pennant race" ;