lead
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: enpr: lĕd
ipa: /lɛd/
rhymes: -ɛd
homophone: led
enpr: lēd
ipa: /liːd/
ipa: /lid/
rhymes: -iːd
homophone: leed
homophone: lede
homophone: lied (“song”)
enpr: lĕd
ipa: /lɛd/
rhymes: -ɛd
homophone: led
Forms: form: leads
form: lede
form: leed
Etymology: From Middle English leden, from Old English lǣdan (“to lead”), from Proto-West Germanic *laidijan, from Proto-Germanic *laidijaną (“to cause one to go, lead”), causative of Proto-Germanic *līþaną (“to go”), from Proto-Indo-European *leyt- (“to leave, die”).
Cognate with West Frisian liede (“to lead”), Dutch leiden (“to lead”), German leiten (“to lead”), Danish and Norwegian Bokmål lede (“to lead”), Norwegian Nynorsk leia (“to lead”), Swedish leda (“to lead”). Related to Old English līþan (“to go, travel”).
Senses: examples: text: to take the lead
text: to be under the lead of another
text: At the time I speak of, and having a momentary lead, […] I am sure I did my country important service.
ref: 1796, Edmund Burke, A Letter from the Right Honourable Edmund Burke to a Noble Lord, on the Attacks Made upon Him and His Pension, […], London: […] J. Owen, […], and F[rancis] and C[harles] Rivington, […], →OCLC:
glosses: The act of leading or conducting; guidance; direction, course
examples: text: the white horse had the lead.
text: to be in the lead
text: She lost the lead.
text: Smith managed to extend her lead over the second place to half a second.
text: Blackburn then regained the lead with a simplest of set-piece goals
ref: 2010 December 28, Kevin Darlin, “West Brom 1 – 3 Blackburn”, in BBC Sport:
glosses: Precedence; advance position; also, the measure of precedence; the state of being ahead in a race; the highest score in an incomplete game.
glosses: An insulated metallic wire for electrical devices and equipment.
examples: text: The runner took his lead from first.
topics: ball-games
baseball
games
hobbies
lifestyle
sports
glosses: The situation where a runner steps away from a base while waiting for the pitch to be thrown.
examples: text: your partner has the lead
topics: card-games
dominoes
games
glosses: The act or right of playing first in a game or round; the card suit, or piece, so played
examples: text: "You make moving pictures. In jungles and places." "That's me. And I've picked you for the lead in my next picture."
ref: 1932, Delos W. Lovelace, King Kong, published 1965, page 43:
topics: acting
broadcasting
entertainment
film
lifestyle
media
television
theater
glosses: The main role in a play or film; the lead role.
topics: acting
broadcasting
entertainment
film
lifestyle
media
television
theater
glosses: The actor who plays the main role; lead actor.
examples: text: John is the development lead on this software product.
topics: business
glosses: The person in charge of a project or a work shift etc.
glosses: A channel of open water in an ice field.
topics: business
mining
glosses: A lode.
topics: nautical
transport
glosses: The course of a rope from end to end.
glosses: A rope, leather strap, or similar device with which to lead an animal; a leash
examples: Usage note: When used alone it means outside lead, or lead for the admission of steam. Inside lead refers to the release or exhaust.
glosses: In a steam engine, the width of port opening which is uncovered by the valve, for the admission or release of steam, at the instant when the piston is at end of its stroke.
topics: civil-engineering
engineering
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
glosses: The distance of haul, as from a cutting to an embankment.
topics: hobbies
horology
lifestyle
glosses: The action of a tooth, such as a tooth of a wheel, in impelling another tooth or a pallet.
examples: text: The investigation stalled when all leads turned out to be dead ends.
glosses: Hypothesis that has not been pursued
examples: text: The police have a couple of leads they will follow to solve the case.
glosses: Information obtained by a detective or police officer that allows him or her to discover further details about a crime or incident.
examples: text: Joe is a great addition to our sales team, he has numerous leads in the paper industry.
topics: business
marketing
glosses: Potential opportunity for a sale or transaction, a potential customer.
glosses: Information obtained by a news reporter about an issue or subject that allows him or her to discover more details.
topics: ball-games
curling
games
hobbies
lifestyle
sports
glosses: The player who throws the first two rocks for a team.
topics: journalism
media
synonyms: lead paragraph
glosses: The introductory paragraph or paragraphs of a newspaper, or a news or other type of article. (Sometimes spelled as lede for this usage to avoid ambiguity.)
glosses: An important news story that appears on the front page of a newspaper or at the beginning of a news broadcast
topics: engineering
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
glosses: The axial distance a screw thread travels in one revolution. It is equal to the pitch times the number of starts.
topics: entertainment
lifestyle
music
glosses: In a barbershop quartet, the person who sings the melody, usually the second tenor.
topics: entertainment
lifestyle
music
glosses: The announcement by one voice part of a theme to be repeated by the other parts.
topics: entertainment
lifestyle
music
glosses: A mark or a short passage in one voice part, as of a canon, serving as a cue for the entrance of others.
topics: entertainment
lifestyle
music
glosses: A primary synth, often composed of square, sawtooth, triangle or sine waveforms.
topics: engineering
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
glosses: The excess above a right angle in the angle between two consecutive cranks, as of a compound engine, on the same shaft.
topics: business
electrical-engineering
electricity
electromagnetism
energy
engineering
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
physics
glosses: The angle between the line joining the brushes of a continuous-current dynamo and the diameter symmetrical between the poles.
topics: business
electrical-engineering
electricity
electromagnetism
energy
engineering
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
physics
glosses: The advance of the current phase in an alternating circuit beyond that of the electromotive force producing it.
Derived terms: sense: terms derived from the noun lead
word: axial lead
sense: terms derived from the noun lead
word: bury the lead
sense: terms derived from the noun lead
word: clubhouse lead
sense: terms derived from the noun lead
word: colead
sense: terms derived from the noun lead
word: dog lead
sense: terms derived from the noun lead
word: downlead
sense: terms derived from the noun lead
word: extension lead
sense: terms derived from the noun lead
word: fairlead
sense: terms derived from the noun lead
word: friendly lead
sense: terms derived from the noun lead
word: in the lead
sense: terms derived from the noun lead
word: isolead
sense: terms derived from the noun lead
word: jump lead
sense: terms derived from the noun lead
word: kettle lead
sense: terms derived from the noun lead
word: lead angle
sense: terms derived from the noun lead
word: leadhand
sense: terms derived from the noun lead
word: lead in
sense: terms derived from the noun lead
word: leadless
sense: terms derived from the noun lead
word: leadline
sense: terms derived from the noun lead
word: leadman
sense: terms derived from the noun lead
word: lead-out
sense: terms derived from the noun lead
word: leadpipe
sense: terms derived from the noun lead
word: lead pursuit
sense: terms derived from the noun lead
word: lead role
sense: terms derived from the noun lead
word: lead screw
sense: terms derived from the noun lead
word: leadscrew
sense: terms derived from the noun lead
word: multilead
sense: terms derived from the noun lead
word: power lead
sense: terms derived from the noun lead
word: shift lead
sense: terms derived from the noun lead
word: take the lead
sense: terms derived from the noun lead
word: tri-lead
sense: terms derived from the noun lead
word: uplead