leading off

verb

present participle of lead off
as in beginning
to take the first step in (a process or course of action) plans to lead off the news conference with a prepared statement

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 off However, Hamilton made up for it the next frame in a big way, leading off the top of the fifth inning with a solo home run to right center field off Griffin Jax, whose solid start ended on a bad note. — Scott Thompson Outkick, FOXNews.com, 28 Oct. 2026 Caminero singled leading off the bottom half to chase May and advanced on a groundout. — Ronald Blum, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026 Tanner Scott allowed a two-strike homer to Garrett Mitchell leading off the sixth as Milwaukee went ahead 5-4. — ABC News, 16 Oct. 2026 Steven Kwan had singled leading off the fourth ahead of Ramírez’s sixth postseason homer, which went just over the wall near the right-field line. — Joe Reedy, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2026 After Phillies starter Jesús Luzardo threw a nine-pitch, 1-2-3 first inning, Dubón started a rally by leading off the second inning with a double into the corner in left field. — Chad Bishop, AJC.com, 29 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for leading off
  1. beginning
  2. commencing
  3. starting
  4. getting off
  5. opening
Verb
  • The high-scoring, deep-shooting affair continued seconds into the second half with Egor Denim beginning the third with another trey to give the Nets a 20-point lead.
    — Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 12 Nov. 2026
  • The seats are available for travel beginning March 5, with one-way fares starting at $90 for the Premium bundle, which includes extra legroom, and $129 for the First Class bundle, which includes first-class seating.
    — Jessica Alvarado Gamez, Chicago Tribune, 11 Nov. 2026
Definition of beginning
Verb
  • Holmes was convicted of fraud in 2018 and sentenced to just over 11 years in federal prison, commencing in May 2023.
    — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The film will shoot on location at the heart of Pendle in Lancashire, with principal photography commencing end of September.
    — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of commencing
Verb
  • Below, shop 13 of my favorite holiday-ready sets on Amazon starting at just $20.
    — Natalie LaBarbera, PEOPLE, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Sir Dickie Evans, who was knighted by Britain’s King Charles in 2024 for his services to business, sport, and charity, built his businesses from the ground up, starting with export-quality fruit and vegetables destined for European markets.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of starting
Verb
  • Katie, who worked at the TD Bank on Shore Parkway in Bath Beach, typically met up with her parents at the Wendy’s next to her job after getting off work.
    — Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 3 Nov. 2026
  • For Dallas, that has been one of the biggest issues for the defense — getting off the field and not allowing an offense to take huge chunks off the clock.
    — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of getting off
Verb
  • The Wildcats struggled from outside in making just one of 13 three-pointers in the opening 20 minutes.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Pugsley said neighbors stepped in to help, opening their home on higher ground.
    — Kelly Werthmann, CBS News, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of opening

Browse Nearby Words

leading men
leading off
leading on
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Leading off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/leading%20off. Accessed 13 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Nov. 13

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
speech-bubble-untangle
Simplify The Convoluted Expression Quiz A quiz that’s as “uncomplicated as a round de...
See All