leadership

noun

lead·​er·​ship ˈlē-dər-ˌship 

1

: the office or position of a leader

recently assumed the leadership of the company

2

: capacity to lead

a politician who lacks leadership

3

: the act or an instance of leading

… leadership molds individuals into a team …

—Harold Koontz and Cyril O'Donnell

4

: leaders

the party leadership

Examples of leadership in a Sentence

a politician who lacks leadership

What this country needs is the exercise of strong leadership!

Recent Examples on the Web

Less than six months before the 2026 midterm elections, however, the concern over Martin's leadership is, at best, an unwanted distraction for a party desperate to break the Republican Party's grip on power in Washington. —ABC News, 13 May 2026

This realization reframes one of the central challenges of organizational leadership — not just making decisions but ensuring that the inputs to those decisions are as unvarnished as possible. —Ascend Agency, Chicago Tribune, 13 May 2026

Established in 2020, to be eligible for a best picture nomination a film must fulfill diversity criteria that includes a combination of casting, subject matter, leadership and departments heads, crew, apprenticeships and/or audience development. —Zack Sharf, Variety, 13 May 2026

Other legal issues for Hunger Busters The I-Team's investigation found other questionable financial decisions under Phillips' leadership. —Andrea Lucia, CBS News, 13 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1765, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing leadership

• under someone's leadership

Rhymes for leadership

• authorship
• battleship
• censorship
• chairmanship
• chieftainship
• comradeship
• consulship
• craftsmanship
• dealership
• draftsmanship
• fellowship
• fingertip