: 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
According to Jassy, inbound lead times have been cut by nearly four days compared to last year.
—
Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 31 Oct. 2025
Early iPhone 17 lead times, a gauge for consumer demand, have largely exceeded those of last year’s iPhone 16 debut.
—Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 29 Oct. 2025
Though that makes launch lead times unpredictable, Trottier said to expect more innovations to come next year.
—James Manso, Footwear News, 21 Oct. 2025
Fallon began his persistent efforts about a year prior to the show’s debut, as he had been tapped by Lorne Michaels to assume the role with a long amount of lead time.
—Devon Ivie, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lead time
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Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 31 Oct. 2025
Early iPhone 17 lead times, a gauge for consumer demand, have largely exceeded those of last year’s iPhone 16 debut.
—Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 29 Oct. 2025
Though that makes launch lead times unpredictable, Trottier said to expect more innovations to come next year.
—James Manso, Footwear News, 21 Oct. 2025
Fallon began his persistent efforts about a year prior to the show’s debut, as he had been tapped by Lorne Michaels to assume the role with a long amount of lead time.
—Devon Ivie, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lead time
Cite this Entry
“Lead time.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lead%20time. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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