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
Julia Teti, Footwear News, 22 Sep. 2025
There simply is no alternative anywhere in the world to the leading-edge chips that Taiwan’s top companies produce.
—Philip H. Gordon, Foreign Affairs, 22 Sep. 2025
Charles Jefferies, PC Magazine, 18 Sep. 2025
Robbie, who produced Promising Young Woman and Saltburn, reunites with Fennell once again, this time both as both a producer and leading lady.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for leading
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Adjective
The film’s leading ladies, Teyana Taylor and Chase Infininti, turned to the runway for their attire, while Regina Hall opted for an edgy take on the classic little black dress.
—Julia Teti, Footwear News, 22 Sep. 2025
There simply is no alternative anywhere in the world to the leading-edge chips that Taiwan’s top companies produce.
—Philip H. Gordon, Foreign Affairs, 22 Sep. 2025
Noun
Also, while the 16 Plus' battery life isn’t class-leading, its 167-nit brightness at our 50% testing setting is impressive, particularly compared with the Asus and Samsung.
—Charles Jefferies, PC Magazine, 18 Sep. 2025
Robbie, who produced Promising Young Woman and Saltburn, reunites with Fennell once again, this time both as both a producer and leading lady.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Sep. 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 27 Sep. 2025.
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