Definition of Lead

Verb: lead (led) leed

Accompany somebody somewhere to show them the way
"we led him to our chief";
- take, direct, conduct, guide
Have as a result or residue
- leave, result
Tend to or result in
"This remark led to further arguments among the guests"
Travel in front of; go in advance of others
"The procession was led by John";
- head
Cause to undertake a certain action
"Her greed led her to forge the checks"
Stretch out over a distance, space, time, or scope; run or extend between two points or beyond a certain point
"Service leads all the way to Cranbury";
- run, go, pass, extend
Be in charge of
"Who is leading this project?";
- head
Be ahead of others; be the first
"she led her class every year";
- top
Have the effect of making happen, or become more likely
"The use of computers in the classroom led to better writing";
- contribute, conduce
(music) Have the leading position, as in the performance of a composition
"lead an orchestra";
- conduct, direct
Provide access; extend (in the direction of something)
"This door leads to the basement";
- go
Move ahead (of others) in time or space
- precede
Cause something to lie along a particular path
"lead the wire behind the cabinet";
- run
Preside over
"John led the discussion";
- moderate, chair

Noun: lead leed

An advantage held by a competitor in a race
"he took the lead at the last turn"
Evidence pointing to a possible solution
"the police are following a promising lead";
- track, trail
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"
The angle between the direction a gun is aimed and the position of a moving target (correcting for the flight time of the missile)
The introductory section of a story
"it was an amusing lead-in to a very serious matter";
- lead-in, lede
(sport) the score by which a team or individual is winning
An actor who plays a principal role
- star, principal
(baseball) the position taken by a base runner preparing to advance to the next base
"he took a long lead off first"
An indication of potential opportunity
"a good lead for a job";
- tip, steer, confidential information, wind, hint
A news story of major importance
- lead story
The timing of ignition relative to the position of the piston in an internal-combustion engine
- spark advance
Restraint consisting of a rope (or light chain) used to restrain an animal
- leash, tether
A jumper that consists of a short piece of wire
"it was a tangle of jumper cables and clip leads";
- jumper cable [N. Amer], jumper lead [N. Amer], booster cable [N. Amer], jump lead [Brit]
The playing of a card to start a trick in bridge
"the lead was in the dummy"

Noun: lead[2] led

A soft heavy toxic malleable metallic element; bluish white when freshly cut but tarnishes readily to dull grey
- Pb, atomic number 82
Mixture of graphite with clay in different degrees of hardness; the marking substance in a pencil
- pencil lead
Thin strip of metal used to separate lines of type in printing
- leading