leading light

noun

: a prominent and influential member (as of a community or church)

Examples of leading light in a Sentence

He is one of the leading lights of the labor movement.

Recent Examples on the Web

Another thing filmmakers look forward to — Doc Stories’ renowned brunch, a gathering of many of the leading lights in documentary under one roof (in this case, the headquarters of KQED, the San Francisco public television station). —Matthew Carey, Deadline, 14 Nov. 2025

The mayor also listed Miami’s leading lights in business, with firms such as BlackRock, Blackstone, and Citadel all opening local offices or even headquarters locally. —Dave Smith, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2025

Féau Boiseries, 9 Rue Laugier, 75017 Paris A new exhibition by Louis Vuitton highlights the maison’s role in creating high-end travel accessories for the leading lights of the Jazz Age. —Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 11 Oct. 2025

Moroney has actually been one of the leading lights of country for the last two or three years in the critical community as well as in, like, the SoCal cowgirl cosplay community. —Chris Willman, Variety, 6 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1707, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for leading light

• acolyte
• aconite
• allanite
• alunite
• amberlite
• ammonite
• amorite
• amphitrite
• analyte
• anchorite
• andesite
• anhydrite

Kids Definition

leading light

noun

: a prominent and influential member (as of a field of study or political movement)