lead

CEFRA2

/ˈlɛd/

verb · noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    verb

    To guide or direct a person, group, or activity.

  2. 02

    noun

    The position of being ahead of others.

Examples

  • Students took the lead in the campaign against pollution.

  • The fiscal austerity may lead to an overkill of the economy.

At a glance

Sits at A2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Also pronounced

  • [ˈlɪi̯d]
  • /ˈliːd/

Deep Dive

verb

Extra meanings

  1. A plummet or mass of lead attached to a line, used in sounding depth at sea or to estimate velocity in knots.

  2. A thin strip of type metal, used to separate lines of type in printing.

noun

Extra meaning

  1. A soft, heavy metal used in pipes and batteries.

More examples

In context

  • There were fears that privatization would lead to job losses.

  • This copy has too much lead; I prefer less space between the lines.

  • You must remember to wear your leads.

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The experienced guide will blank the tourists through the famous ancient museum.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

verb

From Middle English led, leed, from Old English lēad (“lead”), from Proto-West Germanic *laud (“lead”), possibly borrowed from Proto-Celtic *ɸloudom, from Proto-Indo-European *plewd- (“to flow”). Cognate with Scots leid, lede (“lead”), North Frisian lud, luad (“lead”), West Frisian lead (“lead”), Dutch lood (“lead”), Low German Lod (“solder, plummet”), German Lot (“solder, plummet, sounding line”), Swedish lod (“solder, plummet”), Icelandic lóð (“a plumb, weight”), Irish luaidhe (“lead”) Latin plumbum (“lead”), Finnish luoti (“bullet”). Doublet of loth. More at flow. * (graphite in a pencil): Graphite was once believed to be a form of lead; see black lead and plumbago.