as in begins
to take the first step in (a process or course of action)
plans to lead off the news conference with a prepared statement
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Recent Examples of leads off
Alex Bregman #2 of the Boston Red Sox leads off second base during the first inning of a game against the New York Yankees on September 14, 2025 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts.
—
Zach Pressnell, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025
Jarren Duran, who typically leads off and who hasn’t batted lower than sixth in the order all season, will bat eighth.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 16 Sep. 2025
Zach Pressnell, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025
Jarren Duran, who typically leads off and who hasn’t batted lower than sixth in the order all season, will bat eighth.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 16 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for leads off
Verb
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Poetry is a feeling worth getting down, a process that begins with attending and listening.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
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The offseason begins in earnest now that the Los Angeles Dodgers defended their title by beating the Toronto Blue Jays in Saturday night’s epic Game 7.—
Patrick Mooney,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Just last week, the Facchino Family began demolishing structures at its 13-acre property at 1655 Berryessa Road before construction commences on a new mixed-income neighborhood near the BART Station.—
Devan Patel,
Mercury News,
29 Oct. 2025
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Here, for now, are three pressing questions as the offseason commences.—
Matt Gelb,
New York Times,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Meanwhile, the right shoe starts with a black pigskin suede base and mixes in blurred and distorted details to represent the pixelated side.—
Riley Jones,
Footwear News,
31 Oct. 2025
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His goals are unknown, but before the game starts, a little girl in a red dress approaches him.—
Will Borger,
Rolling Stone,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Harp opens his story with the killing of one strung-out super-soldier at the hands of a Delta Force operator.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
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One faces the kitchen, and the other opens to the living room.—
Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott,
Southern Living,
2 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Leads off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/leads%20off. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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