Noun
1. a soft heavy toxic malleable metallic element; bluish white when freshly cut but tarnishes readily to dull gray;
"the children were playing with lead soldiers"2. an advantage held by a competitor in a race;
"he took the lead at the last turn"3. evidence pointing to a possible solution;
"the police are following a promising lead""the trail led straight to the perpetrator"4. a position of leadership (especially in the phrase `take the lead');
"he takes the lead in any group""we were just waiting for someone to take the lead""they didn't follow our lead"5. the angle between the direction a gun is aimed and the position of a moving target (correcting for the flight time of the missile)
6. the introductory section of a story;
"it was an amusing lead-in to a very serious matter"7. an actor who plays a principal role
8. (baseball) the position taken by a base runner preparing to advance to the next base;
"he took a long lead off first"9. an indication of potential opportunity;
"he got a tip on the stock market""a good lead for a job"10. a news story of major importance
11. the timing of ignition relative to the position of the piston in an internal-combustion engine
12. restraint consisting of a rope (or light chain) used to restrain an animal
13. thin strip of metal used to separate lines of type in printing
14. mixture of graphite with clay in different degrees of hardness; the marking substance in a pencil
15. a jumper that consists of a short piece of wire;
"it was a tangle of jumper cables and clip leads"16. the playing of a card to start a trick in bridge;
"the lead was in the dummy"Verb
1. take somebody somewhere;
"We lead him to our chief""can you take me to the main entrance?""He conducted us to the palace"2. result in;
"The water left a mark on the silk dress""Her blood left a stain on the napkin"3. tend to or result in;
"This remark lead to further arguments among the guests"4. travel in front of; go in advance of others;
"The procession was headed by John"5. cause to undertake a certain action;
"Her greed led her to forge the checks"6. 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. be in charge of;
"Who is heading this project?"8. be ahead of others; be the first;
"she topped her class every year"9. be conducive to;
"The use of computers in the classroom lead to better writing"10. lead, as in the performance of a composition;
"conduct an orchestra; Bairenboim conducted the Chicago symphony for years"11. pass or spend;
"lead a good life"12. lead, extend, or afford access;
"This door goes to the basement""The road runs South"13. move ahead (of others) in time or space
14. cause something to pass or lead somewhere;
"Run the wire behind the cabinet"15. preside over;
"John moderated the discussion"