lead-up

1 of 2

noun

ˈlēd-ˌəp 

: something that leads up to or prepares the way for something else

lead up

2 of 2

verb

ˈlēd- 

led up; leading up; leads up

intransitive verb

1

: to prepare the way

2

: to make a gradual or indirect approach to a topic

Examples of lead-up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Paramount, during the lead-up to the deal, hosted Trump during the White House Correspondents Dinner, and Ellison also paid a visit to his compound in Mar-a-Lago. — Dade Hayes, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2026

Surveillance footage from a nearby business captured the lead-up to the encounter, which shows Bonner and two male friends walk past a third man who had been standing on the sidewalk. — Anders Hagstrom, FOXNews.com, 5 Oct. 2026

Verb

After so much talk leading up to and coming out of the game in Melbourne, Australia, about the Los Angeles Rams waiting until late to fly there — and lost 27-7 to San Francisco — the NFL does not appear close to dictating when teams must travel. — ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026

No arrests have been made as of Monday morning and the details of the circumstances leading up to the shooting and conditions of the wounded haven’t been released. — Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1942, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1861, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for lead-up

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup

Kids Definition

lead up

verb

(ˈ)lēd-ˈəp 

: to make a gradual approach to a topic