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

Iranian leadership complained that visas for key staff members were being held up and the tumult was disturbing its preparation for the tournament. —Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 11 June 2026

Councilmember Nithya Raman on Wednesday cast the November mayoral runoff as a choice between change and the status quo, arguing that Los Angeles voters are frustrated with City Hall and ready for new leadership. —Teresa Liu, Daily News, 11 June 2026

The Portugal Football Summit — organised by the Portuguese Football Federation and taking place 23–25 September in Oeiras — brings together the game’s leading voices on football business, leadership and the future of the sport. —James Horncastle, New York Times, 10 June 2026

Hundreds of Orange County residents gathered in Garden Grove on Tuesday night to demand answers from GKN Aerospace leadership during a special city council meeting regarding the chemical crisis at their facility in May. —Hunter Sowards, CBS News, 10 June 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