1
: coming or ranking first : foremost
2
: exercising leadership
3
: providing direction or guidance
a leading question
4
: given most prominent display
the leading story
plural leadings
1
: a covering or framework of lead
repaired the leading in the church's stained glass windows
2
typography
: the distance between a pair of adjacent lines in composed text
increased the leading after the header
a leading of 6 points
Examples of leading in a Sentence
Adjective
a leading topic of conversation
Their family played a leading part in the settlement of the town.
the leading role in a major Hollywood movie
a leading citizen of the town
She's one of the leading authorities on the stock market.
Recent Examples on the Web
Oliver Kay, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2025
That’s why leading companies are moving beyond acquisition-centric models and making the post-sale experience a board-level priority.
—Rachel Lyubovitzky, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Meghan Hall, Sourcing Journal, 27 Aug. 2025
The Porters have several key pieces back from last season but did graduate leading scorer Ismael Gomez, who poured in 34 goals.
—Steve Millar, Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for leading
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Adjective
The agent also proposes that player power — and agent power — is another leading factor.
—Oliver Kay, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2025
That’s why leading companies are moving beyond acquisition-centric models and making the post-sale experience a board-level priority.
—Rachel Lyubovitzky, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Noun
One caveat to all the cheer leading, could come from Resale.
—Meghan Hall, Sourcing Journal, 27 Aug. 2025
The Porters have several key pieces back from last season but did graduate leading scorer Ismael Gomez, who poured in 34 goals.
—Steve Millar, Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for leading
Cite this Entry
“Leading.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/leading. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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