: the time between the beginning of a process or project and the appearance of its results
Examples of lead time in a Sentence
We will need at least six months lead time before production begins.
Recent Examples on the Web
These things take quite a bit of lead time, so the show had people out there already.
—
Christian Blauvelt, IndieWire, 15 July 2024
The money would be divided between the Wisconsin, which is under construction, and long lead time planning for future Columbia submarines.
—Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 26 May 2024
As consumers expect faster delivery and near-immediate gratification, the longer lead times for goods produced by factories thousands of miles away can mean lost sales.
—Shannon K. O'Neil, Foreign Affairs, 21 June 2022
The company has already streamlined its supply chain, implementing nearshoring and working to reduce lead times and order more in season to better predict trends and reduce inventories, which has been a key sticking point in H&M’s strategy.
—Alex Wynne, WWD, 27 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for lead time 
Christian Blauvelt, IndieWire, 15 July 2024
The money would be divided between the Wisconsin, which is under construction, and long lead time planning for future Columbia submarines.
—Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 26 May 2024
As consumers expect faster delivery and near-immediate gratification, the longer lead times for goods produced by factories thousands of miles away can mean lost sales.
—Shannon K. O'Neil, Foreign Affairs, 21 June 2022
The company has already streamlined its supply chain, implementing nearshoring and working to reduce lead times and order more in season to better predict trends and reduce inventories, which has been a key sticking point in H&M’s strategy.
—Alex Wynne, WWD, 27 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for lead time
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lead time.' 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 time
Cite this Entry
“Lead time.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lead%20time. Accessed 26 Jul. 2024.
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