leadoff

1 of 2

noun

lead·​off ˈlēd-ˌȯf 

1

: a beginning or leading action

2

: one that leads off

leadoff adjective

lead off

2 of 2

verb

ˈlēd- 

led off; leading off; leads off

intransitive verb

: begin

also : to come on or perform first

transitive verb

1

: to make a start on : open

2

: to bat first for a baseball team in (an inning)

Synonyms

Verb

• begin
• commence
• embark (on or upon)
• enter (into or upon)
• fall (to)
• get off
• kick off
• launch
• open
• start
• strike (into)

Examples of leadoff in a Sentence

Verb

plans to lead off the news conference with a prepared statement

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

On Tuesday, against Baltimore Orioles starter Kyle Gibson, Trent Grisham began the home run bonanza with a leadoff shot that landed on Eutaw Street beyond the right field wall. —Chris Kirschner, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025

Shohei Ohtani’s leadoff home run sure looked like 2024 again. —Doug Padilla, Oc Register, 30 Apr. 2025

Verb

Trailing 4-1, Taylor led off with a home run against reliever Justin Martinez to cut the deficit to two. —Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 1 May 2025

Shohei Ohtani led off with a home run, his seventh of the season and first since returning from the paternity list last week. —Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1886, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1806, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Rhymes for leadoff

• ashraf
• checkoff
• cutoff
• falloff
• handoff
• kickoff
• layoff
• liftoff
• markoff
• markov
• payoff
• playoff

Kids Definition

leadoff

noun

lead·​off ˈlēd-ˌȯf 

1

: a beginning action

2

: one that begins something

leadoff adjective