"leading" in the noun sense
1. lead, leading
thin strip of metal used to separate lines of type in printing
2. leadership, leading
the activity of leading
"his leadership inspired the team"
"leading" in the verb sense
1. lead, take, direct, conduct, guide
take somebody somewhere
"We lead him to our chief"
"can you take me to the main entrance?"
"He conducted us to the palace"
2. leave, result, lead
produce as a result or residue
"The water left a mark on the silk dress"
"Her blood left a stain on the napkin"
3. lead
tend to or result in
"This remark lead to further arguments among the guests"
4. lead, head
travel in front of go in advance of others
"The procession was headed by John"
5. lead
cause to undertake a certain action
"Her greed led her to forge the checks"
6. run, go, pass, lead, extend
stretch out over a distance, space, time, or scope run or extend between two points or beyond a certain point
"Service runs all the way to Cranbury"
"His knowledge doesn't go very far"
"My memory extends back to my fourth year of life"
"The facts extend beyond a consideration of her personal assets"
7. head, lead
be in charge of
"Who is heading this project?"
8. lead, top
be ahead of others be the first
"she topped her class every year"
9. contribute, lead, conduce
be conducive to
"The use of computers in the classroom lead to better writing"
10. conduct, lead, direct
lead, as in the performance of a composition Barenboim conducted the Chicago symphony for years"
"conduct an orchestra
11. go, lead
lead, extend, or afford access
"This door goes to the basement"
"The road runs South"
12. precede, lead
move ahead (of others) in time or space
13. run, lead
cause something to pass or lead somewhere
"Run the wire behind the cabinet"
14. moderate, chair, lead
preside over
"John moderated the discussion"
"leading" in the adjective sense
1. leading, prima, star, starring, stellar
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"
2. leading, preeminent
greatest in importance or degree or significance or achievement
"our greatest statesmen"
"the country's leading poet"
"a preeminent archeologist"
3. leading
going or proceeding or going in advance showing the way
"we rode in the leading car"
"the leading edge of technology"
4. ahead, in the lead, leading
having the leading position or higher score in a contest
"he is ahead by a pawn"
"the leading team in the pennant race"
Source: WordNet® (An amazing lexical database of English)
Princeton University "About WordNet®."
WordNet®. Princeton University. 2010.
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