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
Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 16 Dec. 2025
The sports platform has created a strategic partnership with Rokt, a leading e-commerce company that uses machine learning and AI to make shopping experience more relevant to individual customers.
—Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 15 Dec. 2025
Literary Hub, 17 Dec. 2025
Lawmakers who were for, against and undecided leading up to the vote received death threats, including bomb threats, swatting, and other intimidation incidents.
—Katie Wiseman, IndyStar, 12 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for leading
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Adjective
The most effective way to prevent serious illness from flu and COVID-19 is vaccination, according to the World Health Organization, CDC and other leading medical institutions.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 16 Dec. 2025
The sports platform has created a strategic partnership with Rokt, a leading e-commerce company that uses machine learning and AI to make shopping experience more relevant to individual customers.
—Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 15 Dec. 2025
Noun
The book is padded out by big type, airy leading and slight, vacuous tributes to the likes of Gregory Peck and Truman Capote produced for organs like the American Film Institute or the Book of the Month club.
—Literary Hub, 17 Dec. 2025
Lawmakers who were for, against and undecided leading up to the vote received death threats, including bomb threats, swatting, and other intimidation incidents.
—Katie Wiseman, IndyStar, 12 Dec. 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 21 Dec. 2025.
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