lead

Noun (1)

lead (countable and uncountable, plural leads)

1. (uncountable) A heavy, pliable, inelastic metal element, having a bright, bluish color, but easily tarnished; both malleable and ductile, though with little tenacity. It is easily fusible, forms alloys with other metals, and is an ingredient of solder and type metal. Atomic number 82.

   Synonyms:

   plumbum

2. (countable) A plummet or mass of lead attached to a line, used in sounding depth at sea or to estimate velocity in knots.
   • Although I could distinctly see the bottom, yet, heaving the lead, I found the ship in fifteen fathoms.1833, Edgar Allan Poe, MS. Found in a Bottle
3. A thin strip of type metal, used to separate lines of type in printing.

   Synonyms:

   leaden, plumbic, plumbous, leaded, leady, saturnine

4. (uncountable) Vertical space in advance of a row or between rows of text. Also known as leading.
   • This copy has too much lead; I prefer less space between the lines.
5. Sheets or plates of lead used as a covering for roofs.
6. (countable) A roof covered with lead sheets or terne plates.
   • I would have the tower two stories, and goodly leads upon the top.1625, Francis [Bacon], “Of Building”, in The Essayes […], 3rd edition, London: […] Iohn Haviland for Hanna Barret, →OCLC
   • These rooms were on a level with the apartments of our friends Bows and Costigan next door at No. 4; and by reaching over the communicating leads, Grady could command the mignonette-box which bloomed in Bows’s window.1848 November – 1850 December, William Makepeace Thackeray, The History of Pendennis. […], volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1849–1850, →OCLC
7. (countable) A thin cylinder of graphite used in pencils.

   Synonyms:

   pencil lead

8. (slang) Bullets; ammunition.
   • They pumped him full of lead.
   • All my life I want money and power
     Respect my mind or die from lead shower2012, “Backseat Freestyle” (hip-hop), performed by Kendrick Lamar
9. (in plural) X-ray protective clothing lined with lead.
   • You must remember to wear your leads.

Verb (1)

lead (third-person singular simple present leads, present participle leading, simple past and past participle leaded)

1. (transitive) To cover, fill, or affect with lead.
   • continuous firing leads the grooves of a rifle.
2. (historical, transitive) To place leads between the lines of.
   • to lead a page
   • leaded matter

Verb (2)

IPA/ˈliːd/

lead (third-person singular simple present leads, present participle leading, simple past and past participle led)

1. (transitive) To guide or conduct with the hand, or by means of some physical contact connection.
   • a father leads a child
   • a jockey leads a horse with a halter
2. (transitive) To guide or conduct in a certain course, or to a certain place or end, by making the way known; to show the way, especially by going with or going in advance of; to guide somebody somewhere or to bring somebody somewhere by means of instructions.
   • The guide was able to lead the tourists through the jungle safely.
   • The Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Exodus 13:21
3. (figuratively, transitive) To direct; to counsel; to instruct.
   • A good teacher should lead their students to the right answer.
4. (transitive) To conduct or direct with authority; to have direction or charge of; to command, especially a military or business unit.
   • to lead a political party
   • to lead the search team

   Synonyms:

   spearhead

5. (transitive) To draw or direct by influence, whether good or bad; to prevail on; to induce; to entice; to allure.
   • to lead someone to a righteous cause
   • And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Matthew 6:13
6. (transitive) To influence towards a belief, a conclusion, etc.
   • The evidence leads me to believe he is guilty.
7. (intransitive) To guide or conduct, as by accompanying, going before, showing, influencing, directing with authority, etc.; to have precedence or preeminence; to be first or chief; — used in most of the senses of the transitive verb.
8. (transitive) To go or to be in advance of; to precede; hence, to be foremost or chief among.
   • the big sloop led the fleet of yachts; the Guards led the attack; Demosthenes leads the orators of all ages
   • As Hesperus, that leads the sun his way.1600, Edward Fairfax, The Jerusalem Delivered of Tasso

   Synonyms:

   head, front

9. (intransitive) To proceed in front of others; to go first.
   • The standard-bearers led and the rest of the marchers followed.
10. (intransitive) To be more advanced in technology or business than others.
    • It leads in the information technology sector.
11. (transitive) To begin a game, round, or trick, with
    • to lead trumps
    • He led the ace of spades.
12. (intransitive) To be ahead of others, e.g., in a race.

Noun (2)

IPA/ˈliːd/

lead (countable and uncountable, plural leads)

1. (countable) The act of leading or conducting; guidance; direction, course
   • to take the lead
   • to be under the lead of another
2. (countable) Precedence; advance position; also, the measure of precedence; the state of being ahead in a race; the highest score in an incomplete game.
   • the white horse had the lead.
   • to be in the lead
3. (UK, countable) An insulated metallic wire for electrical devices and equipment.
4. The situation where a runner steps away from a base while waiting for the pitch to be thrown.
   • The runner took his lead from first.
5. (uncountable) The act or right of playing first in a game or round; the card suit, or piece, so played
   • your partner has the lead
6. The main role in a play or film; the lead role.
   • "You make moving pictures. In jungles and places." "That's me. And I've picked you for the lead in my next picture."1932, Delos W. Lovelace, King Kong, published 1965, page 43
7. The actor who plays the main role; lead actor.
8. The person in charge of a project or a work shift etc.
   • John is the development lead on this software product.
9. (countable) A channel of open water in an ice field.
10. (countable) A lode.
11. The course of a rope from end to end.
12. A rope, leather strap, or similar device with which to lead an animal; a leash

Adjective

IPA/ˈliːd/

lead (not comparable)

1. Foremost.
   • The contestants are all tied; no one has the lead position.
   • For the first time ever, the senior architect and lead developer for a key enterprise system on NASA's ongoing Mars Exploration Rover mission shares the secrets to one of the most difficult technology tasks […]2006, Ronald Mak, The Martian Principles for Successful Enterprise Systems

   Synonyms:

   first, front, head, leader, leading

2. Main, principal, primary, first, chief, foremost.
   • the lead guitarist in band
   • the lead developer on a software project

Proper noun capitalized: Lead

Lead

1. A civil parish in North Yorkshire, England.
2. A city in Lawrence County, South Dakota, United States.