lead1
/leed/ • verb (past and past part. led /led/) 1 cause (a person or animal) to go with one, especially by drawing them along or by preceding them to a destination. 2 be a route or means of access: the street led into the square. 3 (lead to) result in. 4 influence to do or believe something: that may lead them to reconsider. 5 be in charge of. 6 have the advantage in a race or game. 7 be superior to (a competitor). 8 have or experience (a particular way of life). 9 (often lead (off) with) begin with a particular action or item. (lead up to) precede or result in. (lead on) deceive (someone) into believing that one is attracted to them. (in card games) play (the first card) in a trick or round of play. • noun 1 the initiative in an action: others followed our lead. 2 (the lead) a position of advantage in a contest; first place. 3 an amount by which a competitor is ahead of the others: a one-goal lead. 4 the chief part in a play or film. 5 before another noun playing the chief part in a musical group: the lead singer. 6 before another noun denoting the principal item in a report or text: the lead article. 7 a clue to be followed in the resolution of a problem. 8 Brit. a strap or cord for restraining and guiding a dog. 9 a wire conveying electric current from a source to an appliance, or connecting two points of a circuit together. (in card games) an act or the right of playing first in a trick or round of play. — PHRASES lead astray cause to act or think foolishly or wrongly. lead up the garden path informal give misleading clues or signals to. lead with one’s chin informal 1 (of a boxer) leave one’s chin unprotected. 2 behave or speak incautiously. — ORIGIN Old English, related to LOAD and LODE.
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