: 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
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The new episodes of the flagship Law & Order will also debut on Sept. 25 at 8 p.m. ET, serving as the lead-in to SVU. Christopher Rudolph, People.com, 31 Aug. 2025 Of course, the return on your primetime investment depends on whether or not Fox’s cartoon juggernaut—now entering its 37th season, The Simpsons passed Gunsmoke as the longest-running American scripted series seven years ago—was the beneficiary of a big NFL lead-in. Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 26 Aug. 2025 With a lead-in from The O.C. and a cast including future stars Dave Annable and Chyler Leigh, it was poised to be one of the 2005–06 TV season's greatest mysteries. James Mercadante, EW.com, 22 Aug. 2025 Of course, the lead-in shows were getting 30 and 40 million, which was a big part of it. Clayton Davis, Variety, 18 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for lead-in

Word History

First Known Use

1913, in the meaning defined above

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

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Cite this Entry

“Lead-in.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lead-in. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.

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

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