in the lead
idiom
1
: in a position that is ahead of others
They walked single file, with the oldest boy in the lead.
2
: winning in a race or competition
Our team was in the lead.
Examples of in the lead in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Then, a week later, The Bachelorette premieres with Taylor Frankie Paul in the lead on Sunday, March 22.
—
Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 1 Mar. 2026
This past week, in the lead-up to the attack on Iran, the Defense Department demanded Anthropic hand over its AI without restrictions for lawful military use.
—March 1, CBS News, 1 Mar. 2026
Greg Baker | Afp | Getty Images But Beijing has refrained from coming out in strong support of Iran as Washington continued to build up its military presence in the Gulf in the lead up to the attack.
—Anniek Bao, CNBC, 1 Mar. 2026
Balogun put the host in the lead in the 57th minute with his fourth goal in seven matches.
—ABC News, 28 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for in the lead
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 1 Mar. 2026
This past week, in the lead-up to the attack on Iran, the Defense Department demanded Anthropic hand over its AI without restrictions for lawful military use.
—March 1, CBS News, 1 Mar. 2026
Greg Baker | Afp | Getty Images But Beijing has refrained from coming out in strong support of Iran as Washington continued to build up its military presence in the Gulf in the lead up to the attack.
—Anniek Bao, CNBC, 1 Mar. 2026
Balogun put the host in the lead in the 57th minute with his fourth goal in seven matches.
—ABC News, 28 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for in the lead
Cite this Entry
“In the lead.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/in%20the%20lead. Accessed 5 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
