Leading
from
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006)
leading
adj 1: 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" [syn: {leading(p)}, {prima(p)},
{star(p)}, {starring(p)}, {stellar(a)}]
2: greatest in importance or degree or significance or
achievement; "our greatest statesmen"; "the country's leading
poet"; "a preeminent archeologist" [syn: {leading(a)},
{preeminent}]
3: going or proceeding or going in advance; showing the way; "we
rode in the leading car"; "the leading edge of technology"
[ant: {following}]
4: having the leading position or higher score in a contest; "he
is ahead by a pawn"; "the leading team in the pennant race"
[syn: {ahead(p)}, {in the lead}, {leading}]
n 1: thin strip of metal used to separate lines of type in
printing [syn: {lead}, {leading}]
2: the activity of leading; "his leadership inspired the team"
[syn: {leadership}, {leading}]
from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Lead \Lead\ (l[=e]d), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Led} (l[e^]d); p. pr.
& vb. n. {Leading}.] [OE. leden, AS. l[=ae]dan (akin to OS.
l[=e]dian, D. leiden, G. leiten, Icel. le[imac][eth]a, Sw.
leda, Dan. lede), properly a causative fr. AS. li[eth]an to
go; akin to OHG. l[imac]dan, Icel. l[imac][eth]a, Goth.
lei[thorn]an (in comp.). Cf. {Lode}, {Loath}.]
1. To guide or conduct with the hand, or by means of some
physical contact or connection; as, a father leads a
child; a jockey leads a horse with a halter; a dog leads a
blind man.
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If a blind man lead a blind man, both fall down in
the ditch. --Wyclif
(Matt. xv.
14.)
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They thrust him out of the city, and led him unto
the brow of the hill. --Luke iv. 29.
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In thy right hand lead with thee
The mountain nymph, sweet Liberty. --Milton.
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2. To guide or conduct in a certain course, or to a certain
place or end, by making the way known; to show the way,
esp. by going with or going in advance of. Hence,
figuratively: To direct; to counsel; to instruct; as, to
lead a traveler; to lead a pupil.
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The Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a
cloud, to lead them the way. --Ex. xiii.
21.
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He leadeth me beside the still waters. --Ps. xxiii.
2.
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This thought might lead me through the world's vain
mask.
Content, though blind, had I no better guide.
--Milton.
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3. To conduct or direct with authority; to have direction or
charge of; as, to lead an army, an exploring party, or a
search; to lead a political party.
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Christ took not upon him flesh and blood that he
might conquer and rule nations, lead armies, or
possess places. --South.
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4. To go or to be in advance of; to precede; hence, to be
foremost or chief among; as, the big sloop led the fleet
of yachts; the Guards led the attack; Demosthenes leads
the orators of all ages.
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As Hesperus, that leads the sun his way. --Fairfax.
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And lo ! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest. --Leigh
Hunt.
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5. To draw or direct by influence, whether good or bad; to
prevail on; to induce; to entice; to allure; as, to lead
one to espouse a righteous cause.
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He was driven by the necessities of the times, more
than led by his own disposition, to any rigor of
actions. --Eikon
Basilike.
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Silly women, laden with sins, led away by divers
lusts. --2 Tim. iii.
6 (Rev. Ver.).
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6. To guide or conduct one's self in, through, or along (a
certain course); hence, to proceed in the way of; to
follow the path or course of; to pass; to spend. Also, to
cause (one) to proceed or follow in (a certain course).
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That we may lead a quiet and peaceable life. --1
Tim. ii. 2.
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Nor thou with shadowed hint confuse
A life that leads melodious days. --Tennyson.
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You remember . . . the life he used to lead his wife
and daughter. --Dickens.
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7. (Cards & Dominoes) To begin a game, round, or trick, with;
as, to lead trumps; the double five was led.
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{To lead astray}, to guide in a wrong way, or into error; to
seduce from truth or rectitude.
{To lead captive}, to carry or bring into captivity.
{To lead the way}, to show the way by going in front; to act
as guide. --Goldsmith.
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from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Leading \Lead"ing\, a.
Guiding; directing; controlling; foremost; as, a leading
motive; a leading man; a leading example. -- {Lead"ing*ly},
adv.
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{Leading case} (Law), a reported decision which has come to
be regarded as settling the law of the question involved.
--Abbott.
{Leading motive} [a translation of G. leitmotif] (Mus.), a
guiding theme; in the musical drama of Wagner, a marked
melodic phrase or short passage which always accompanies
the reappearance of a certain person, situation, abstract
idea, or allusion in the course of the play; a sort of
musical label. Also called {leitmotif} or {leitmotiv}.
{Leading note} (Mus.), the seventh note or tone in the
ascending major scale; the sensible note.
{Leading question}, a question so framed as to guide the
person questioned in making his reply.
{Leading strings}, strings by which children are supported
when beginning to walk.
{To be in leading strings}, to be in a state of infancy or
dependence, or under the guidance of others.
{Leading wheel}, a wheel situated before the driving wheels
of a locomotive engine.
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from
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
161 Moby Thesaurus words for "leading":
absolute, all-absorbing, antecedent, anterior, arch, ascendant,
at the head, authoritarian, authoritative, authority, authorized,
autocratic, banner, best, boss, capital, cardinal, central,
champion, chief, clothed with authority, command, commanding,
competent, conduct, consequential, considerable, control,
controlling, crowning, directing, direction, directive,
directorial, directory, dominant, duly constituted, eminent,
empowered, ex officio, exordial, first, focal, fore, foregoing,
forehand, foremost, forward, front, frontal, general, governance,
governing, government, great, greatest, guidance, guiding,
handling, head, heading, headmost, hegemonic, hegemonistic,
highest, husbandry, imperative, important, in ascendancy,
in charge, in chief, in the ascendant, inaugural, influential,
initial, initiatory, lead, magisterial, maiden, main, management,
managerial, managery, managing, manipulation, master, matchless,
mighty, momentous, monocratic, noted, notorious, official,
ordering, outstanding, overriding, overruling, paramount, peerless,
pilotage, popular, potent, powerful, precedent, preceding,
precessional, precursory, predominant, predominate, preeminent,
prefatory, preliminary, preludial, prelusive, premier, preparatory,
prepollent, preponderant, preponderate, prepotent, prestigious,
prevailing, prevalent, prevenient, primal, primary, prime,
principal, prior, proemial, prominent, propaedeutic, puissant,
ranking, regnant, regulating, regulation, regulative, regulatory,
reigning, ruling, running, senior, sovereign, star, steerage,
steering, stellar, substantial, supereminent, superior, supreme,
the conn, the helm, the wheel, topflight, topmost, totalitarian,
unsurpassed, uppermost, weighty
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