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
Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 11 June 2024
While the movie may be further confirmation of Powell’s screen-star bona fides, Arjona should not be overlooked; this role hopefully will serve as a calling card for more leading roles.
—Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 6 June 2024
Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 17 May 2024
Sacred Heart leading scorers Nico Galette and Alex Sobel both jumped into the portal with destinations still unknown, and Fairfield standouts Jalen Leach (Northwestern), Brycen Goodine (Oklahoma) and Jasper Floyd (North Texas) are all transferring to bigger programs.
—Kels Dayton, Hartford Courant, 2 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for leading 
Adjective
The two performers have had leading roles in the off-Broadway production of the Little Shop of Horrors revival.
—Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 11 June 2024
While the movie may be further confirmation of Powell’s screen-star bona fides, Arjona should not be overlooked; this role hopefully will serve as a calling card for more leading roles.
—Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 6 June 2024
Noun
Kevin Costner is taking on the next frontier in four parts and in four different roles: director, co-writer, producer, and leading star.
—Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 17 May 2024
Sacred Heart leading scorers Nico Galette and Alex Sobel both jumped into the portal with destinations still unknown, and Fairfield standouts Jalen Leach (Northwestern), Brycen Goodine (Oklahoma) and Jasper Floyd (North Texas) are all transferring to bigger programs.
—Kels Dayton, Hartford Courant, 2 May 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 19 Jun. 2024.
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