leader

1 a long hollow cylinder for carrying a substance (as a liquid or gas) the leader funnels water off of the roof and down into the cistern Synonyms channel, conduit, duct, pipe, line, penstock, trough, tubeRelated Words drain, drainpipe, funnel, hydrant, main, smokestack, spout, standpipe, stovepipe, tile, waste pipe, waterspout; pipage (or pipeage), pipeline, piping

2 the person (as an employer or supervisor) who tells people and especially workers what to do the team leader is good at making sure that everyone keeps busy at their assigned tasks Synonyms boss man, captain, chief, foreman, head, headman, helmsman, honcho, jefe, kingpin, boss, master, taskmasterRelated Words directress, mistress; administrator, commander, director, executive, general, governor, hierarch, higher-up; leadman, manager, overseer, principal, skipper, standard-bearer, steward, straw boss, superintendent, superior, supervisor; dominator, lord, overlord, potentate, ruler, sovereign (also sovran); figurehead; slave driver; baron, czar (also tsar or tzar), king, magnate, mogul, president, prince; big cheese, big gun, bigwig, top dog, top gun; cohead, coleader; employer, gaffer [British], ganger [British]; micromanager; subchief, subdirectorNear Antonyms dependent, inferior, junior, secondary, subject, subordinate, underling

3 one that takes the lead or sets an example an architectural firm that is widely regarded as a leader in innovative residential design Synonyms bellwether, pacemaker, pacer, pacesetter, trendsetterRelated Words foregoer, forerunner, harbinger, herald, precursor; groundbreaker, innovator, pioneerNear Antonyms Johnny-come-lately, me-tooerAntonyms follower, imitator