lead with

phrasal verb

led with; leading with; leads with

1

: to begin with (something specified)

The newspaper story led with a long report on the funeral.

2

: to begin a series of punches in boxing with (a punch thrown by a specified hand)

The champion led with a left to the body, followed up quickly with a right to the jaw.

Examples of lead with in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

With his 3-pointer that gave the Lakers a late 115-106 lead with a little over one minute left in the game, James became just the second 40-year-old in NBA history to score at least 40 in a game. —Khobi Price, Orange County Register, 9 Feb. 2025

The Nets opened the fourth quarter on a 14-2 run to take a 97-81 lead with 7:22 left, and didn’t look back. —C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 8 Feb. 2025

But Watertown-Mayer sealed the win with two straight wins by pin at 160 and 172 to take a 34-12 lead with just three weights to go. —Tom Schardin, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2025

Sammy Cahn leads with 26 nods, followed by Johnny Mercer with 18 and Paul Francis Webster, also with 16. —Paul Grein, Billboard, 6 Feb. 2025