leading

1 of 2

adjective

lead·​ing ˈlē-diŋ How to pronounce leading (audio)
1
: coming or ranking first : foremost
2
: exercising leadership
3
: providing direction or guidance
a leading question
4
: given most prominent display
the leading story

leading

2 of 2

noun

lead·​ing ˈle-diŋ How to pronounce leading (audio)
plural leadings
1
: a covering or framework of lead
repaired the leading in the church's stained glass windows
2
typography : the distance between a pair of adjacent lines in composed text
increased the leading after the header
a leading of 6 points

Examples of leading in a Sentence

Adjective a leading topic of conversation Their family played a leading part in the settlement of the town. the leading role in a major Hollywood movie a leading citizen of the town She's one of the leading authorities on the stock market.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Related article As guns rise to leading cause of death among US children, research funding to help prevent and protect victims lags A rising death rate among children, despite the overall decline, is a particularly worrying trend, experts say. Deidre McPhillips, CNN, 21 Mar. 2024 Collectively, these neurological problems are now thought to be the single largest leading cause of disability and illness worldwide. Ed Cara / Gizmodo, Quartz, 19 Mar. 2024 Home dryers are the second leading cause of house fires in the U.S. USA TODAY, 17 Mar. 2024 Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women in the US. Korin Miller, SELF, 14 Mar. 2024 This marks Quan’s first major leading role in his 40 years in Hollywood. Jack Dunn, Variety, 14 Mar. 2024 In addition to participating in some of the first sit-ins to be held in Mississippi, Ms. Ladner played a leading role in voter registration drives across the state. Emily Langer, Washington Post, 13 Mar. 2024 Suicide was the second leading cause of death for people ages 10 to 14 , according to the CDC. Georgea Kovanis, Detroit Free Press, 12 Mar. 2024 Still, some Oscar watchers feared that her relatively limited screen time and the narrative’s focus on DiCaprio’s character might hurt her chances against a more traditional leading role like Stone’s. Greg Braxton, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2024
Noun
The actual leading of the team and the power in the system lay with someone else who demonstrated those leadership qualities. Vinesh Sukumaran, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024 Slats are moveable panels on the front or leading edge of the wing and are used during takeoffs and landings. Beatrice Dupuy, USA TODAY, 21 Feb. 2024 Her presence could not be missed, after all, she is nominated for best actress in a leading for Barbie. Lorena Meouchi, Glamour, 18 Feb. 2024 For Brown, the team’s Most Valuable Player and leading scorer, the game was extra special. Mike Frainie, Baltimore Sun, 28 Jan. 2024 Before The Rookie, Chavez had a recurring role on The Fosters and leading roles on Chicago P.D. and D.C.’s Legends of Tomorrow, plus a number of other TV credits. Jacqueline Weiss, Peoplemag, 26 Nov. 2023 Hagan played with Colorado all-time leading rusher Eric Bieniemy. Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Dec. 2023 Heating is the second leading cause while electrical systems/lighting equipment is the third leading. Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 5 Dec. 2023 Behind the luxury hotels and yachts was a largely invisible work force toiling long hours under a blazing sun, providing spearfishing and diving lessons, staffing yacht parties or leading tours. Emiliano Rodríguez Mega, New York Times, 18 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'leading.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1597, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of leading was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near leading

Cite this Entry

“Leading.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/leading. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

leading

adjective
lead·​ing ˈlēd-iŋ How to pronounce leading (audio)
1
: coming or ranking first or among the first : foremost
2
: exercising leadership
3
: providing direction or guidance
a leading question

More from Merriam-Webster on leading

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