leading

1 of 3

adjective

lead·​ing ˈlē-diŋ 

1

: coming or ranking first : foremost

2

: exercising leadership

3

: providing direction or guidance

a leading question

4

: given most prominent display

the leading story

leading

2 of 3

noun

lead·​ing ˈle-diŋ 

plural leadings

1

: a covering or framework of lead

repaired the leading in the church's stained-glass windows

2

typography : the distance between a pair of adjacent lines in composed text

increased the leading after the header

a leading of 6 points

leading

3 of 3

present participle of lead entry 1, lead entry 5

Synonyms of leading

Adjective

• main
• greatest
• highest
• primary
• dominant
• predominant
• foremost
• first
• big

Examples of leading in a Sentence

Adjective

a leading topic of conversation

Their family played a leading part in the settlement of the town.

the leading role in a major Hollywood movie

a leading citizen of the town

She's one of the leading authorities on the stock market.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Our cable portfolio features more than 50 channels globally, connecting viewers with culture-defining entertainment, kids and family programming and leading lifestyle brands. — Michael Schneider, Variety, 6 Oct. 2026

The bull case is that those conditions remain unusually favorable because manufacturers cannot add leading-edge capacity quickly enough to meet demand. — Isabella Gao, CNBC, 29 Sep. 2026

Noun

In the runoff that year, the final poll showed Bass leading, 45% to 41%. — Itzel Luna, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026

While two polls have shown Hinojosa leading, Abbott still leads most polls and is heavily favored to win. — Jack Fink, CBS News, 27 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1597, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing leading

• leading article
• leading brand
• leading edge
• leading lady
• leading light
• leading man
• leading question
• leading tone

Rhymes for leading

• beading
• bleeding
• breeding
• ceding
• feeding
• heeding
• kneading
• needing
• pleading
• reding
• seeding
• speeding

Kids Definition

leading

adjective

lead·​ing ˈlēd-iŋ 

1

: coming or ranking first or among the first : foremost

2

: exercising leadership

3

: providing direction or guidance

a leading question