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
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
Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 19 May 2025
Edwards took a leading role in communicating with victims of the storm and making the case for Helene relief.
—Danielle Battaglia, Charlotte Observer, 15 May 2025
Bobby Narang, Chicago Tribune, 15 May 2025
Prioritizing Standardization: Embrace leading practices and standard processes across entities to prepare for a clean core and reduce customization needs.
—Rahul Bhatia, Forbes.com, 5 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for leading
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show current usage.
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Adjective
Thelma, Squibb’s first leading feature film role, became one of the biggest success stories at the specialty box office last year, earning over $12 million at the global box office and becoming the highest-grossing movie ever for distributor Magnolia over its two-decade history.
—Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 19 May 2025
Edwards took a leading role in communicating with victims of the storm and making the case for Helene relief.
—Danielle Battaglia, Charlotte Observer, 15 May 2025
Noun
In her third varsity season, Higham is the Wildcats’ ace and leading hitter.
—Bobby Narang, Chicago Tribune, 15 May 2025
Prioritizing Standardization: Embrace leading practices and standard processes across entities to prepare for a clean core and reduce customization needs.
—Rahul Bhatia, Forbes.com, 5 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for leading
Cite this Entry
“Leading.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/leading. Accessed 29 May. 2025.
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