LEADING ON Synonyms: 39 Similar and Opposite Words

leading on

verb

present participle of lead on

as in tempting

to lead away from a usual or proper course by offering some pleasure or advantage a con man whose dupes are usually led on by their own greed and eagerness to turn an easy buck

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of leading on In the video version, a ragtag group of Von Trapp Family-esque singers in mountain peasant regalia sing a song, with the paterfamilias (Kjartansson) leading on jazz guitar. — Carlos Valladares, ARTnews.com, 11 Sep. 2026 But so should the fact that leading on global food security means helping shape the future of the world’s entire agricultural system—something China is on a path to do. — Anna Nelson, Foreign Affairs, 4 Sep. 2026 Batula had witnessed Wilson leading on Miller and spoke ill of their connection in the media. — Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 5 Aug. 2026 Rowan Woods, the former creative chief at the Edinburgh TV Festival, has been leading on this work for months as an independent consultant. — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 28 July 2026 Designers should be leading on what consumers actually need, said Munster, the investor. — Sebastian Herrera, Fortune, 25 July 2026 By passing Section 106, the Commonwealth can show that leading on AI innovation and leading on responsible oversight are one and the same. — Jesse Rothman, Boston Herald, 17 July 2026 By 101 measures, Los Angeles is one of the great cities of the world and California has built the world’s fourth-largest economy while leading on climate change, so apocalyptic diagnoses are a bit off the mark. — Steve Lopez columnist follow, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2026 Maryland is leading on this issue. — Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 11 Feb. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for leading on

Verb

The moody Moon squares enthusiastic Jupiter early this morning, tempting us to spend too much, promise too much, or turn one feeling into a full production.

— Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 2 Sep. 2026
However, when one of the three women feels guilty about snubbing their lifelong pal, Mel shows up and suddenly the weekend turns to complete chaos, tempting the trio to break free from the madness that has hobbled their friend group for years.

— Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of tempting

Verb

The words themselves feel poetic, almost decadent, but the images are robbed of their power to meet them, as each frame feels aimed only at presenting, rather than luring or excavating.

— Siddhant Adlakha, IndieWire, 8 Sep. 2026
Using that relationship, Epstein had posed as a talent scout for the brand, luring young women to his hotel room under the pretext of auditions.

— Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of luring

Verb

Still, with more than 40,000 industry jobs lost in the past few years, soundstages and vendor storefronts sitting empty, and lucrative overseas incentives seducing even more production away, things are bleak in town right now.

— Dominic Patten, Deadline, 6 Aug. 2026
The young women acted as underground assassins, seducing Nazi officers, luring them into the woods and killing them.

— Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 28 July 2026

Definition of seducing

Verb

In other words, setting direction, then guiding, persuading and motivating others, isn’t enough anymore.

— Liz Guthridge, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2026
But as in other eligibility cases brought against the NCAA, the athletes here came up short in persuading Chambers that their exclusion harms a market that antitrust law ought to protect.

— Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 10 Sep. 2026