1
: coming or ranking first : foremost
2
: exercising leadership
3
: providing direction or guidance
a leading question
4
: given most prominent display
the leading story
plural leadings
1
: a covering or framework of lead
repaired the leading in the church's stained-glass windows
2
typography
: the distance between a pair of adjacent lines in composed text
increased the leading after the header
a leading of 6 points
Examples of leading in a Sentence
Adjective
a leading topic of conversation
Their family played a leading part in the settlement of the town.
the leading role in a major Hollywood movie
a leading citizen of the town
She's one of the leading authorities on the stock market.
Recent Examples on the Web
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, jsonline.com, 12 Nov. 2025
And somehow, the various patchwork prosthetics end up accentuating the Australian actor's leading-man magnetism.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 11 Nov. 2025
Scott Wheeler, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025
Most polls show Hochul leading, with a recent Manhattan Institute survey finding Stefanik favored.
—Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for leading
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Adjective
Journal Sentinel interns work for one of the country's leading regional news organizations, in a vibrant, welcoming newsroom.
—Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, jsonline.com, 12 Nov. 2025
And somehow, the various patchwork prosthetics end up accentuating the Australian actor's leading-man magnetism.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 11 Nov. 2025
Noun
Early in the second, the Nittany Lions moved sophomore and leading scorer Charlie Cerrato onto his line with Reese Laubach to try to kickstart their offense and claw their way back into the game.
—Scott Wheeler, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025
Most polls show Hochul leading, with a recent Manhattan Institute survey finding Stefanik favored.
—Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for leading
Cite this Entry
“Leading.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/leading. Accessed 19 Nov. 2025.
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