leadoff
adjective
led off; leading off; leads off
: begin
also
: to come on or perform first
Synonyms
Example Sentences
Verb
plans to lead off the news conference with a prepared statement
Recent Examples on the Web
Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 28 May 2023
Northwestern 0, Alabama 0 Bottom: Prange, last night’s hero, walked to give the Tide a leadoff base runner.
—Nick Alvarez | Nalvarez@al.com, al, 28 May 2023
Mullins back in lineup Cedric Mullins batted leadoff Friday after missing Thursday’s game because of personal reasons, Hyde said.
—Hayes Gardner, Baltimore Sun, 26 May 2023
Those efforts – by Cleveland’s Cal Quantrill and a perfect game bid from the Cubs’ Drew Smyly – were broken up by leadoff hits (Smyly’s in admittedly absurd circumstances).
—Gabe Lacques, USA TODAY, 24 May 2023
That’s what happened Tuesday, in large part because none of their leadoffs hitters moved the runner over.
—Theo Mackie, The Arizona Republic, 16 May 2023
Pérez hit a two-out solo homer off the right-hander in the first, then after Yelich's leadoff shot – his third round-tripper in four at-bats including Saturday night – tied it, the Royals scored a pair of two-out runs in the second on a Witt double and another in the third to open a 4-1 lead.
—Todd Rosiak, Journal Sentinel, 14 May 2023
The Razorbacks managed to get a runner on base each of the first five innings, but only two of them -- on Kendall Diggs' one-out walk in the first inning and John Bolton's leadoff double in the third -- came with less than two outs.
—Tom Murphy, Arkansas Online, 14 May 2023
McKinstry, a left-handed hitter, leads the Tigers in leadoff opportunities with 13 games, ahead of Matt Vierling (11), Nick Maton (10) and Akil Baddoo (5).
—Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press, 14 May 2023
Josh Max, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2023
The biggest complaints: There have been frequent occasions when a batter has felt rushed, particularly if leading off an inning, and the bigger bases still look like pizza boxes.
—Evan Grant, Dallas News, 8 Apr. 2023
The Jaguars cut it to 3-2 in the sixth when Turner doubled to lead off the inning and came home on Sullivan’s RBI grounder.
—Creg Stephenson | Cstephenson@al.com, al, 8 Apr. 2023
Kline began to tire and walked two of the first three batters to lead off the inning.
—Mike Frainie, Baltimore Sun, 6 Apr. 2023
The Mets jumped ahead 1-0 in the second on a sacrifice fly by Omar Narvaez that scored Canha, who doubled leading off the inning.
—Alina Thames, Sun Sentinel, 1 Apr. 2023
Tim Anderson reflects on ‘cool’ WBC experience Anderson walked leading off the pivotal eighth inning for Team USA in a World Baseball Classic quarterfinal against Venezuela on Saturday in Miami.
—Lamond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 24 Mar. 2023
Josh Bell, the Padres’ first baseman, singled to lead off the second inning.
—James Wagner, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2022
With a 430-foot blast to lead off the ninth inning of Tuesday’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge hit his 60th of the year, adding yet another memorable moment to one of the greatest offensive seasons ever.
—James Wagner, New York Times, 20 Sep. 2022
See More
Noun
The inning began with some bad luck, when Taylor let a high hop off the outfield turf get over his head for a leadoff triple.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 28 May 2023
Northwestern 0, Alabama 0 Bottom: Prange, last night’s hero, walked to give the Tide a leadoff base runner.
—Nick Alvarez | Nalvarez@al.com, al, 28 May 2023
Mullins back in lineup Cedric Mullins batted leadoff Friday after missing Thursday’s game because of personal reasons, Hyde said.
—Hayes Gardner, Baltimore Sun, 26 May 2023
Those efforts – by Cleveland’s Cal Quantrill and a perfect game bid from the Cubs’ Drew Smyly – were broken up by leadoff hits (Smyly’s in admittedly absurd circumstances).
—Gabe Lacques, USA TODAY, 24 May 2023
That’s what happened Tuesday, in large part because none of their leadoffs hitters moved the runner over.
—Theo Mackie, The Arizona Republic, 16 May 2023
Pérez hit a two-out solo homer off the right-hander in the first, then after Yelich's leadoff shot – his third round-tripper in four at-bats including Saturday night – tied it, the Royals scored a pair of two-out runs in the second on a Witt double and another in the third to open a 4-1 lead.
—Todd Rosiak, Journal Sentinel, 14 May 2023
The Razorbacks managed to get a runner on base each of the first five innings, but only two of them -- on Kendall Diggs' one-out walk in the first inning and John Bolton's leadoff double in the third -- came with less than two outs.
—Tom Murphy, Arkansas Online, 14 May 2023
McKinstry, a left-handed hitter, leads the Tigers in leadoff opportunities with 13 games, ahead of Matt Vierling (11), Nick Maton (10) and Akil Baddoo (5).
—Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press, 14 May 2023
Verb
What’s annoying is the need to shift to neutral at red lights as the vehicle, while in gear, wants to lead off.
—Josh Max, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2023
The biggest complaints: There have been frequent occasions when a batter has felt rushed, particularly if leading off an inning, and the bigger bases still look like pizza boxes.
—Evan Grant, Dallas News, 8 Apr. 2023
The Jaguars cut it to 3-2 in the sixth when Turner doubled to lead off the inning and came home on Sullivan’s RBI grounder.
—Creg Stephenson | Cstephenson@al.com, al, 8 Apr. 2023
Kline began to tire and walked two of the first three batters to lead off the inning.
—Mike Frainie, Baltimore Sun, 6 Apr. 2023
The Mets jumped ahead 1-0 in the second on a sacrifice fly by Omar Narvaez that scored Canha, who doubled leading off the inning.
—Alina Thames, Sun Sentinel, 1 Apr. 2023
Tim Anderson reflects on ‘cool’ WBC experience Anderson walked leading off the pivotal eighth inning for Team USA in a World Baseball Classic quarterfinal against Venezuela on Saturday in Miami.
—Lamond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 24 Mar. 2023
Josh Bell, the Padres’ first baseman, singled to lead off the second inning.
—James Wagner, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2022
With a 430-foot blast to lead off the ninth inning of Tuesday’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge hit his 60th of the year, adding yet another memorable moment to one of the greatest offensive seasons ever.
—James Wagner, New York Times, 20 Sep. 2022
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'leadoff.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
Noun
circa 1886, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
1806, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense
Dictionary Entries Near leadoff
Cite this Entry
“Leadoff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/leadoff. Accessed 3 Jun. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
leadoff
noun
lead·off
ˈlēd-ˌȯf 
1
: a beginning action
2
: one that begins something
leadoff
adjective
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Words at Play
-
Palter, Dissemble, and Other Words for Lying
Trust us
-
Skunk, Bayou, and Other Words with Native American Origins
You've used more than you might think
-
Words For Things You Didn't Know Have Names, Vol. 2
When 'thingamajig' and 'thingamabob' just won't do
-
When Were Words First Used?
Look up any year to find out
Ask the Editors
Word Games
Share