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
Arkansas Online, 9 Jan. 2026
Towards the end of the interview, Melvin asked Foster to demonstrate her French skills, in honor of her upcoming movie, A Private Life, which marks the actress' first French leading role.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Jan. 2026
Idaho Statesman, 4 Jan. 2026
The book is padded out by big type, airy leading and slight, vacuous tributes to the likes of Gregory Peck and Truman Capote produced for organs like the American Film Institute or the Book of the Month club.
—Literary Hub, 17 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for leading
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Adjective
Tariq Francis, Rutgers' leading scorer, had an off night.
—Arkansas Online, 9 Jan. 2026
Towards the end of the interview, Melvin asked Foster to demonstrate her French skills, in honor of her upcoming movie, A Private Life, which marks the actress' first French leading role.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Jan. 2026
Noun
But a turnover from San Diego State leading scorer BJ Davis (22) gave Boise State senior guard Dylan Andrews the chance to win the game at the buzzer; however, his midrange jumper over a defender rattled inside the rim and back out as the buzzer sounded.
—Idaho Statesman, 4 Jan. 2026
The book is padded out by big type, airy leading and slight, vacuous tributes to the likes of Gregory Peck and Truman Capote produced for organs like the American Film Institute or the Book of the Month club.
—Literary Hub, 17 Dec. 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 10 Jan. 2026.
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