leadoff

1 of 2

noun

lead·​off ˈlēd-ˌȯf 

1

: a beginning or leading action

2

: one that leads off

leadoff adjective

lead off

2 of 2

verb

ˈlēd- 

led off; leading off; leads off

intransitive verb

: begin

also : to come on or perform first

transitive verb

1

: to make a start on : open

2

: to bat first for a baseball team in (an inning)

Synonyms of leadoff

Verb

• begin
• commence
• start
• fall (to)
• set about
• get off
• embark (on or upon)
• get going
• open

Examples of leadoff in a Sentence

Verb

plans to lead off the news conference with a prepared statement

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Bazzana put Cleveland ahead 4-3 in the fifth with his 15th homer, a 411-foot leadoff drive to center off Scott Blewett (2-1). — ABC News, 18 Sep. 2026

Keaschall drove in the automatic runner with a leadoff single in the 10th to tie the game after Ali Sanchez's RBI single in the top of the inning. — CBS News, 16 Sep. 2026

Verb

José Ramírez led off the fourth with a double down the right-field line, advanced to third on Chase DeLauter's fly out to left and scored on Jo Adell's infield single. — ABC News, 20 Sep. 2026

After Ryan O'Hearn led off with a single to center, Flores sent a slider from Nate Pearson (2-3) into the left-field bleachers for his 10th homer this season. — CBS News, 20 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1886, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1806, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Rhymes for leadoff

• ashraf
• checkoff
• cutoff
• falloff
• handoff
• kickoff
• layoff
• liftoff
• markoff
• markov
• payoff
• playoff

Kids Definition

leadoff

noun

lead·​off ˈlēd-ˌȯf 

1

: a beginning action

2

: one that begins something

leadoff adjective