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
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
Synonyms
Adjective
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
Kerry McDermott, Vogue, 27 June 2024
San Jose, which has taken a leading role in defining responsible government use of AI systems, appears to be the only city that requires its police department to disclose accuracy data for its gunshot detection system.
—Todd Feathers, WIRED, 25 June 2024
Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 19 June 2024
So does former Ravens kicker Matt Stover — but we’re puzzled as to why one of the team’s all-time leading scorers appears in a Colts uniform.
—Amanda Yeager, Baltimore Sun, 18 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for leading 
Adjective
British friends of the brand also turned out to toast the top seed, including London boy Joe Alwyn, One Love leading man Kingsley Ben-Adir, and Bridgerton newcomer Hannah Dodd.
—Kerry McDermott, Vogue, 27 June 2024
San Jose, which has taken a leading role in defining responsible government use of AI systems, appears to be the only city that requires its police department to disclose accuracy data for its gunshot detection system.
—Todd Feathers, WIRED, 25 June 2024
Noun
The Irish leading lady, 37, is learning a new hobby thanks to cast mate Luke Newton, who plays her love interest in the Regency-era Netflix series.
—Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 19 June 2024
So does former Ravens kicker Matt Stover — but we’re puzzled as to why one of the team’s all-time leading scorers appears in a Colts uniform.
—Amanda Yeager, Baltimore Sun, 18 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for leading
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'leading.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near leading
Cite this Entry
“Leading.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/leading. Accessed 2 Jul. 2024.
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