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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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
Being Different means standing apart - leading on innovation and setting trends.
—
Steven Wolfe Pereira, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Off the back of a super five years for video game IP, Ampere searched through the gaming archives leading on eight key characteristics to come up with its list.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 5 Jan. 2026
Formichetti has previously held roles at Mugler, Diesel and Uniqlo, leading on artistic and creative direction.
—Vogue Business Team, Vogue, 4 Nov. 2025
America, after years of leading on tech and economic growth, is cutting itself off from global trade to protect manufacturing jobs few actually want to do.
—Renaud Foucart, Time, 28 Sep. 2025
Ramps leading on and off the interstate.
—Idaho Statesman, 13 Aug. 2025
Steven Wolfe Pereira, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Off the back of a super five years for video game IP, Ampere searched through the gaming archives leading on eight key characteristics to come up with its list.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 5 Jan. 2026
Formichetti has previously held roles at Mugler, Diesel and Uniqlo, leading on artistic and creative direction.
—Vogue Business Team, Vogue, 4 Nov. 2025
America, after years of leading on tech and economic growth, is cutting itself off from global trade to protect manufacturing jobs few actually want to do.
—Renaud Foucart, Time, 28 Sep. 2025
Ramps leading on and off the interstate.
—Idaho Statesman, 13 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for leading on
Verb
-
Luke, for his part, is described as roaming the land looking for Force artifacts, while Leia and Han will be spotted in areas near the Millennium Falcon and Oga’s Cantina, the latter tempting Han while Leia will serve the role of a recruiter.—
Todd Martens,
Boston Herald,
25 Jan. 2026
-
Ease into the day at the charming French-Vietnamese Elizabeth Street Café, which greets the dawn with coffee and pastries, before evolving its menu as the day passes, with pho and banh mi tempting the casual crowd.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Both Kelly and Landfair were adamant about their love, and a 17-year-old Landfair was so deep under her abuser’s spell that her parents had no hope of successfully luring her away from Kelly.—
Cheyenne Roundtree,
Rolling Stone,
31 Jan. 2026
-
If the crisp, cold weather is luring you into a secluded, comfortable hideaway, Amazon’s tiny home collection is a good place to start.—
Julia Morlino,
Travel + Leisure,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
In the complaint, which was first filed in September in a North Carolina state court, plaintiff Heather Ammel accused Sinema of seducing her ex-husband Matthew Ammel, who began working for Sinema in April 2022 as part of her security detail.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
16 Jan. 2026
-
In Arthur Penn’s 1975 neo-noir Night Moves, Griffith is Delly Grastner, a 16-year-old runaway with a little girl’s voice and a grown woman’s body—on full display in an underwater nude scene—intent on seducing Gene Hackman, 43 and paunchy.—
Lili Anolik,
Vanity Fair,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The steady drumbeat of imagery out of Minnesota is persuading the last few persuadable voters that this deportation campaign has gone too far.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Turkey has a strained relationship with Israel but good relations with Hamas and could play an important role in persuading the group to yield power in Gaza and disarm.—
Cara Anna,
Fortune,
19 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Leading on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/leading%20on. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
