leadership

noun

lead·​er·​ship ˈlē-dər-ˌship 

1

: the office or position of a leader

recently assumed the leadership of the company

2

: capacity to lead

a politician who lacks leadership

3

: the act or an instance of leading

… leadership molds individuals into a team …

—Harold Koontz and Cyril O'Donnell

4

: leaders

the party leadership

Examples of leadership in a Sentence

a politician who lacks leadership

What this country needs is the exercise of strong leadership!

Recent Examples on the Web

Under his spiritual leadership, Microsoft went on a shopping spree. —Literary Hub, 5 Nov. 2025

The political leadership of California has never been more out of touch with the people of California. —Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025

Under the leadership of designer and founder Robin Brown, the company’s nonprofit foundation has supported causes ranging from Indigenous housing and disaster relief to animal welfare and youth arts programs. —Maria Williams, USA Today, 4 Nov. 2025

That reliance on just a handful of tech names has more investors nervous a correction could be near, if the big AI names fail to sustain their leadership or run out of momentum. —Sarah Min, CNBC, 4 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1765, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing leadership

• under someone's leadership

Rhymes for leadership

• authorship
• battleship
• censorship
• chairmanship
• chieftainship
• comradeship
• consulship
• craftsmanship
• dealership
• draftsmanship
• fellowship
• fingertip