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

Draiblate’s skills and leadership ability were immediately clear, according to José-Luis Novo, the symphony’s conductor and artistic director. — Catherine E. Shoichet, CNN Money, 25 July 2026

The agency has also sent staff to Anson County to help run the elections office while the county searches for new leadership. — Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 25 July 2026

The district, established in 1992, well after the Voting Rights Act, to help ensure Black voting power, is in the process of a major transition of leadership as Congresswoman Frederica Wilson winds down her final term. — Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 25 July 2026

Ukraine’s war effort now faces a leadership vacuum, and neither camp has a clear mandate to complete Ukraine’s history-making experiment in warfare or to reverse it. — Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 24 July 2026

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