leadership

noun

lead·​er·​ship ˈlē-dər-ˌship 

1

: the office or position of a leader

recently assumed the leadership of the company

2

: capacity to lead

a politician who lacks leadership

3

: the act or an instance of leading

… leadership molds individuals into a team …

—Harold Koontz and Cyril O'Donnell

4

: leaders

the party leadership

Examples of leadership in a Sentence

a politician who lacks leadership

What this country needs is the exercise of strong leadership!

Recent Examples on the Web

The label, under the leadership of Jackson Wiederhoeft, was rumored to be one of the designers who might dress the bride (that honor went to Christian Dior). — Morgan Evans, USA Today, 4 July 2026

Mayor Dean Trantalis, Commissioner Steven Glassman and Commissioner John Herbst took issue with her leadership, accusing her of being dismissive to subordinates and ruffling too many feathers. — Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 3 July 2026

The corporate leadership stated that utilizing additive manufacturing allows the organization to reduce the standard timelines required to bring new power generation designs to the commercial marketplace. — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 3 July 2026

The movement lacks central leadership and messaging, but its scope has expanded beyond the environmental complaints that sparked it. — Max Grinstein, The Washington Examiner, 3 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1765, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing leadership

• under someone's leadership

Rhymes for leadership

• authorship
• battleship
• censorship
• chairmanship
• chieftainship
• comradeship
• consulship
• craftsmanship
• dealership
• draftsmanship
• fellowship
• fingertip