lead story
noun
: the first and most important story
His arrest was the lead story on the evening news.
Examples of lead story in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The decision was the lead story on the home pages of the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, the Hill and more.
—
Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 9 Apr. 2024
There are announcements of across-the-board layoffs at the Beeb, arguments about what does and does not constitute a proper lead story, and enough editorial handwringing to require skin grafts on numerous palms.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 4 Apr. 2024
Aurora Aurora’s lead story at CES was that automotive Tier 1 supplier Continental will be producing Aurora’s ADS system at scale starting in 2027.
—Richard Bishop, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024
The lead story was on resurgent fighting in the north.
—David Remnick, The New Yorker, 14 Jan. 2024
Published in November 1985, the issue’s lead story [PDF] was written by Trudy E. Bell, a tenacious reporter and a careful writer and editor.
—IEEE Spectrum, 26 Nov. 2014
Digital editorial is a mix of short-lead and long-lead story creation.
—Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 6 Apr. 2023
Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 9 Apr. 2024
There are announcements of across-the-board layoffs at the Beeb, arguments about what does and does not constitute a proper lead story, and enough editorial handwringing to require skin grafts on numerous palms.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 4 Apr. 2024
Aurora Aurora’s lead story at CES was that automotive Tier 1 supplier Continental will be producing Aurora’s ADS system at scale starting in 2027.
—Richard Bishop, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024
The lead story was on resurgent fighting in the north.
—David Remnick, The New Yorker, 14 Jan. 2024
Published in November 1985, the issue’s lead story [PDF] was written by Trudy E. Bell, a tenacious reporter and a careful writer and editor.
—IEEE Spectrum, 26 Nov. 2014
Digital editorial is a mix of short-lead and long-lead story creation.
—Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 6 Apr. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lead story.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near lead story
Cite this Entry
“Lead story.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lead%20story. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share