: something (such as a television show or segment) that leads into something else
a lead-in to the commercial
lead-in adjective

Examples of lead-in in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Vanessa Hudgens and Julianne Hough are set to host The Oscars Red Carpet Show, the official lead-in to the 96th Oscars on March 10, airing at 6:30 p.m. Tyler Coates, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Mar. 2024 Vanessa Hudgens and Julianne Hough are set to host The Oscars Red Carpet Show, ABC’s official lead-in to the 96th Oscars on Sunday, March 10, airing at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT. Paul Grein, Billboard, 6 Mar. 2024 Three more episodes have aired since, and continue to perform strongly without football lead-in: Episode 2 hit 6.9 million viewers, Episode 2 hit 7.1 million and Episode 3 hit 7.4 million. Selome Hailu, Variety, 4 Mar. 2024 Bradshaw often narrates highlights from other games during halftime and after games, and banters with Menefee and the other hosts throughout the lead-in to the game itself. Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 23 Feb. 2024 The ceremony had the benefit of an NFL lead-in, as well as an especially starry gathering that drew Swift, Oprah Winfrey, Timothée Chalamet, Kylie Jenner, Leonardo DiCaprio and many more. Mark Kennedy, USA TODAY, 6 Feb. 2024 That game, however, benefited from another game on NBC that served as a lead-in (with ample promotion for Peacock), as well as the attendance of Taylor Swift, who was there to cheer on beau Travis Kelce. Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Feb. 2024 The sizable growth for the Grammys is in keeping with that of the Golden Globe Awards, which rose 51 percent year to year (with an assist from an NFL lead-in). Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Feb. 2024 The ceremony had the benefit of an NFL lead-in, as well as an especially starry gathering that drew Taylor Swift, Oprah Winfrey, Timothée Chalamet, Kylie Jenner, Leonardo DiCaprio and many more. Jake Coyle, Fortune, 9 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lead-in.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1913, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of lead-in was in 1913

Dictionary Entries Near lead-in

Cite this Entry

“Lead-in.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lead-in. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

lead-in

noun
ˈlēd-ˌin
: something (as a television show or segment) that leads into something else
lead-in adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on lead-in

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