1
: coming or ranking first : foremost
2
: exercising leadership
3
: providing direction or guidance
a leading question
4
: given most prominent display
the leading story
plural leadings
1
: a covering or framework of lead
repaired the leading in the church's stained glass windows
2
typography
: the distance between a pair of adjacent lines in composed text
increased the leading after the header
a leading of 6 points
Synonyms
Adjective
Examples of leading in a Sentence
Adjective
a leading topic of conversation
Their family played a leading part in the settlement of the town.
the leading role in a major Hollywood movie
a leading citizen of the town
She's one of the leading authorities on the stock market.
Recent Examples on the Web
Jack Smart, Peoplemag, 6 Sep. 2024
Jose Pineda, who has unparalleled talent in the real estate sphere, is taking a leading role in helping Houston continue to grow.
—Tyler Shepherd, USA TODAY, 5 Sep. 2024
Magnus Ahlqvist, Forbes, 3 Sep. 2024
There are a ton of desktop publishing-type settings like tracking and leading, but no drop shadow or glow.
—PCMAG, 24 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for leading 
Adjective
The movie marks Anderson's first leading role in years; her last screen credit was the 2022 horror movie Alone at Night.
—Jack Smart, Peoplemag, 6 Sep. 2024
Jose Pineda, who has unparalleled talent in the real estate sphere, is taking a leading role in helping Houston continue to grow.
—Tyler Shepherd, USA TODAY, 5 Sep. 2024
Noun
In my experience, the longevity of a business hinges on three critical areas where leaders can make the most significant impact: embracing and leading change, fostering a client-centric culture and nurturing the growth and well-being of your people.
—Magnus Ahlqvist, Forbes, 3 Sep. 2024
There are a ton of desktop publishing-type settings like tracking and leading, but no drop shadow or glow.
—PCMAG, 24 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for leading
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'leading.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near leading
Cite this Entry
“Leading.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/leading. Accessed 18 Sep. 2024.
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