leader

1 a long hollow cylinder for carrying a substance (as a liquid or gas) <the leader funnels water off of the roof and down into the cistern> Synonyms channel, conduit, duct, pipe, line, penstock, trough, tubeRelated Words drain, drainpipe, funnel, hydrant, main, smokestack, spout, standpipe, stovepipe, tile, waste pipe, waterspout; pipage (or pipeage), pipeline, piping

2 the person (as an employer or supervisor) who tells people and especially workers what to do <the team leader is good at making sure that everyone keeps busy at their assigned tasks> Synonyms boss man, captain, chief, foreman, head, headman, helmsman, honcho, jefe, kingpin, boss, master, taskmasterRelated Words directress, mistress; administrator, commander, director, executive, general, governor, hierarch, higher-up; leadman, manager, overseer, principal, skipper, standard-bearer, steward, straw boss, superintendent, superior, supervisor; dominator, lord, overlord, potentate, ruler, sovereign (also sovran); figurehead; slave driver; baron, czar (also tsar or tzar), king, magnate, mogul, president, prince; big cheese, big gun, bigwig, top dog, top gun; cohead, coleader; employer, gaffer [British], ganger [British]; micromanager; subchief, subdirectorNear Antonyms dependent, inferior, junior, secondary, subject, subordinate, underling

3 one that takes the lead or sets an example <an architectural firm that is widely regarded as a leader in innovative residential design> Synonyms bellwether, pacemaker, pacer, pacesetter, trendsetterRelated Words foregoer, forerunner, harbinger, herald, precursor; groundbreaker, innovator, pioneerNear Antonyms Johnny-come-lately, me-tooerAntonyms follower, imitator