Synonyms of leads

leads 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of lead

1

as in steers

to point out the way for (someone) especially from a position in front

an enthusiastic docent led our group through the art museum

Synonyms & Similar Words

• steers
• guides
• accompanies
• directs
• shows
• conducts
• ushers
• routes
• precedes
• pilots
• escorts
• marshals
• sees
• manages
• attends
• controls
• chaperones
• convoys

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• follows
• trails
• tails
• shadows
• dogs
• hounds
• tailgates

2

as in commands

to serve as leader of

a senior programmer is leading the team that is developing the new accounting software

Synonyms & Similar Words

• commands
• heads
• captains
• spearheads
• oversees
• bosses
• directs
• dominates
• manages
• controls
• supervises
• governs
• regulates
• handles
• runs
• superintends

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• follows
• serves
• yields (to)
• submits (to)
• obeys
• complies (with)
• defers (to)
• bows (to)

3

as in accompanies

to be at the front of

the local high school's marching band led the parade

Synonyms & Similar Words

• accompanies
• precedes
• announces
• attends
• heads
• escorts
• heralds
• ushers

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ends
• stops
• concludes
• terminates
• finishes
• follows
• tails
• trails
• dogs
• tailgates

4

as in extends

to be positioned along a certain course or in a certain direction

this old road leads to an abandoned quarry

Synonyms & Similar Words

• extends
• goes
• runs
• lies
• heads
• follows
• crosses
• passes
• bears
• spans
• cuts
• courses
• traverses

5

as in guides

to give advice and instruction to (someone) regarding the course or process to be followed

the salesclerk led us through the maze of options now available to television buyers

Synonyms & Similar Words

• guides
• accompanies
• shows
• steers
• coaches
• informs
• teaches
• counsels
• mentors
• walks through
• tutors
• shepherds
• pilots
• escorts
• trains
• supervises
• directs
• engineers
• sees
• sways
• attends
• oversees
• instructs
• enlightens
• fosters
• schools
• superintends
• convoys
• inculcates
• nurtures
• drills
• cultivates
• briefs
• indoctrinates
• chaperones
• godfathers
• squires

leads

2 of 2

noun

plural of lead

1

as in principals

the person who has the most important role in a play, movie, or TV show

the actor's career has really taken off since he became the lead in that prime-time drama

Synonyms & Similar Words

• principals
• stars
• headliners
• leading men
• leading ladies
• superstars
• star turns
• starlets
• ingenues
• costars
• coprincipals

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• extras
• supernumeraries

2

as in distances

the space or amount of space between two points, lines, surfaces, or objects

the runner maintained a lead of several meters all the way around the track

Synonyms & Similar Words

• distances
• removes
• stretches
• widths
• lengths
• spacings
• heights
• spreads
• ways
• spaces
• areas
• rises
• reaches
• throws
• sweeps
• falls
• depths
• extensions
• volumes
• drops
• altitudes
• casts
• flights
• ranges
• hauls
• clearances
• shots
• breadths
• berths
• scopes
• extents

3

as in tips

a piece of advice or useful information especially from an expert

my sister got a lead on the job opening from her neighbor, who is the human resources director for the company

Synonyms & Similar Words

• tips
• advice
• recommendations
• instructions
• suggestions
• pointers
• hints
• signs
• signals
• feedback
• directions
• guidance
• solutions
• observations
• prompts
• clues
• answers
• assistances
• counsel
• warnings
• reminders
• advisements
• tip-offs
• briefs
• cautions
• urgings
• telltales

4

as in clues

a slight or indirect pointing to something (as a solution or explanation)

the police are now working on several leads generated by the evidence gathered at the crime scene

Synonyms & Similar Words

• clues
• indications
• cues
• hints
• suggestions
• signs
• ideas
• intimations
• inklings
• suspicions
• glimpses
• mentions
• implications
• winds
• signals
• evidences
• whiffs
• tips
• prompts
• inferences
• keys
• breaths
• feelings
• glimmers
• scents
• inspirations
• flickers
• hunches
• notions
• allusions
• insinuations
• pointers
• symptoms
• guideposts
• intuitions
• nods
• tokens
• overtones
• assistances
• winks
• innuendos
• presages
• marks
• premonitions
• denotations
• harbingers
• telltales
• presentiments
• tip-offs
• omens
• forebodings
• portents
• foretastes
• foreshadowers
• prefigurements
• auguries

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• solutions
• answers

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of leads

Verb

Chopping up their parents and teachers has never been so much fun as these kids take command gleefully and with joy as the ice cream man (actor Ari Millen in a dialogue-less performance) leads the band. — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 3 Aug. 2026

More serious and rare than postpartum depression, psychosis leads patients to struggle with their perceptions of reality. — Colleen Cronin, Boston Herald, 3 Aug. 2026

Haugset leads the general classification by 2 minutes, 2 seconds from Kimberley Le Court of Mauritius, with 2023 Tour champion Demi Vollering third, a further 4 seconds behind. — ABC News, 3 Aug. 2026

This incompatibility leads workers to hide efficiencies gained from AI, fearing more tasks. — Nirit Cohen, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026

All guests are greeted with a swanky, industrial-chic entrance, high ceilings, and a spiral staircase that leads down to the front desk check-in. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 July 2026

Washington leads the National Women’s Soccer League with 33 points, while Summit FC sits 11th in the league standings. — Nate Peterson, Denver Post, 27 July 2026

James Wood leads the Washington Nationals into a contest against the Toronto Blue Jays after his two-homer performance in a 10-7 victory over the Diamondbacks. — Data Skrive, New York Times, 27 July 2026

Emma Meisel, Ignacio Diaz-Silverio and Bill O’Neill have all joined the series opposite leads Téa Leoni and Tim Daly. — Joe Otterson, Variety, 27 July 2026

Noun

Yes, the Padres blew two leads, including one in the eighth inning with two of their high-leverage arms on the mound. — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Aug. 2026

Two ransom notes purportedly sent by those who kidnapped Nancy Guthrie in Arizona earlier this year were released Friday by local authorities hoping to generate new leads in the case. — Tom Winter, NBC news, 1 Aug. 2026

Her post came after the Pima County Sheriff’s Department released two ransom notes allegedly sent by her kidnappers shortly after Nancy’s disappearance in hopes of generating new leads. — Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 1 Aug. 2026

On Friday, the Pima County Sheriff released two ransom notes allegedly sent by her kidnappers, an effort to generate new leads in the case. — Ted Johnson, Deadline, 1 Aug. 2026

Investigators executed multiple search warrants and interviewed several people before pursuing other leads, Nanos said. — Rebekah Riess, CNN Money, 1 Aug. 2026

The last update the family received about possible suspects in his murder was last year, and at that time, the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police department still had no leads. — Maveah Griffith, Charlotte Observer, 31 July 2026

That includes investigative genetic genealogy research, which is used to generate leads from a family tree. — Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 31 July 2026

Raids everywhere The raids in Lancaster happened April 15, 2026, and came nearly four years after the FBI first began poking around for leads as the agency built its case, according to Parris. — Pat Maio, Daily News, 31 July 2026