leadoff

1 of 2

noun

lead·​off ˈlēd-ˌȯf 

1

: a beginning or leading action

2

: one that leads off

leadoff adjective

lead off

2 of 2

verb

ˈlēd- 

led off; leading off; leads off

intransitive verb

: begin

also : to come on or perform first

transitive verb

1

: to make a start on : open

2

: to bat first for a baseball team in (an inning)

Synonyms of leadoff

Verb

• begin
• commence
• start
• fall (to)
• set about
• get off
• embark (on or upon)
• get going
• open

Examples of leadoff in a Sentence

Verb

plans to lead off the news conference with a prepared statement

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The Longhorns were primed to add on to their lead after Casey Borba smoked a leadoff double, but some poor situational hitting behind him kept Texas off the board. —David Eckert, Austin American Statesman, 1 Mar. 2026

After a leadoff walk in the second, Sale got a grounder and line-out before fanning Vinny Capra with a slider. —Chad Bishop, AJC.com, 27 Feb. 2026

Verb

But her race was thrown off course as she was led off the path by a media vehicle, according to Athletics Illustrated. —Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 2 Mar. 2026

Three runners — Jess McClain, Emma Grace Hurley and Ednah Kurgat — were led off course by an official race vehicle with less than 2 miles to go. —Caitlyn Stroh-Page, AJC.com, 1 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1886, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1806, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Rhymes for leadoff

• ashraf
• checkoff
• cutoff
• falloff
• handoff
• kickoff
• layoff
• liftoff
• markoff
• markov
• payoff
• playoff

Kids Definition

leadoff

noun

lead·​off ˈlēd-ˌȯf 

1

: a beginning action

2

: one that begins something

leadoff adjective