: something (such as a television show or segment) that leads into something else
a lead-in to the commercial
lead-in adjective

Examples of lead-in in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Did that seem too abrupt to just drop at the top of a new paragraph with absolutely zero lead-in? Nick Caruso, TVLine, 29 Sep. 2024 The solid performance is thanks in part to a lead-in from an NFL doubleheader. Katie Campione, Deadline, 23 Sep. 2024 Marathon will have standard cosmetic shop/battle pass stuff in addition to the lead-in price. Paul Tassi, Forbes, 18 Sep. 2024 Kimmel moved into second with 1.82 million viewers, down about 11 percent from five years earlier (having Monday Night Football as a lead-in once a week last fall helped some; the show averaged 1.77 million viewers from January to May). Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for lead-in 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lead-in.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1913, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of lead-in was in 1913

Dictionary Entries Near lead-in

Cite this Entry

“Lead-in.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lead-in. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

lead-in

noun
ˈlēd-ˌin
: something (as a television show or segment) that leads into something else
lead-in adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on lead-in

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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