The Oxford Thesaurus An A-Z Dictionary of Synonyms - leadv.

1) conduct, escort, usher, guide, show the way, pilot, steer: If you lead, I'll follow. 2) cause, influence, prompt, bring, incline, induce, persuade, move, dispose, convince: What led you to suspect the butler? 3 head (up) , direct, govern, command, supervise, superintend, preside (over) , take the lead, take or assume command (of) , manage, captain, Colloq skipper: The orchestra would like you to lead. Who is going to lead the men into battle? Nicole leads a weekly discussion group on alcoholism. 4) come or be or go first, excel, surpass, exceed, precede, be ahead (of) , outstrip, distance, outrun, outdo: They lead the world in the production of sugar. 5) live, experience, spend, pass; while away: He is leading a life of ease on the French Riviera. 6) be conducive to, create, engender, cause, contribute to, result in, bring on or about, produce: Your stubbornness can lead only to frustration. 7) lead astray. lead on, mislead, misguide, misdirect, deceive; fool, decoy, hoodwink, Colloq bamboozle: She might have been led astray by that wolf in sheep's clothing. 8) lead off. start (off or in or out or up) , begin, commence, get going or moving, get under way, initiate, inaugurate, Colloq kick off: The proceedings will lead off with the national anthem. Who is going to lead off the singing? 9 lead on. a See 7, above. b lure, entice, seduce, beguile, inveigle, tempt: They led me on with offers of a huge salary. 1) 0 lead up to. a prepare or pave or clear (the way) , do the groundwork or spadework, precede: The events leading up to the overthrow of the government may never be known. b approach, broach, bring up, present, introduce, work up or round or around to, get (up) to: I should lead up to the subject delicately, if I were you. --n. 1) 1 front, vanguard, van, lead or leading position or place, advance or advanced position or place: The horse that he had bet on was in the lead coming down the home straight. 12 advantage, edge, advance, supremacy, margin, priority, primacy, pre-eminence: She has the lead over all her competitors. Our team had a two-point lead at half-time. 13 direction, guidance, leadership, precedent, example, model, exemplar, pattern, standard: We decided to follow his lead. 1) 4 tip, clue, hint, suggestion, cue, intimation; prospect, possibility, potential; Colloq tip-off: Barry is following up some leads for a new job. The advertisement produced some new sales leads. 15 leash, tether, restraint, cord, chain: The dog fetches his lead himself when he wants to go out. 1) 6 protagonist, hero or heroine, leading or starring role or part, leading or lead actor or actress, leading lady or man, male or female lead, principal; prima donna, diva, prima ballerina, premiЉre danseuse, premier danseur: She has the lead in the new production of Giselle . 17 wire, cable, Brit flex: Connect this lead to the power source. --adj. 1) 8 leading, foremost, first; main, chief, principal, premier, paramount: The lead climber fell when the rope broke. The lead story in today's paper is about an American take-over bid for the longest-standing British car-manufacturing company.