in the lead

idiom

1
: in a position that is ahead of others
They walked single file, with the oldest boy in the lead.
2
: winning in a race or competition
Our team was in the lead.

Examples of in the lead in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The first returns from All-Star voting are back, with Indiana's Caitlin Clark and Minnesota's Napheesa Collier in the lead. Devin Robertson, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 June 2025 Mascherano stressed in the lead up to the game that based on the tournament results so far, barring a few exceptions, perhaps the gap between the European clubs and the rest of the world is not as wide as anticipated. Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 20 June 2025 While the musical started out with strong grosses, with Redmayne in the lead, grosses have since trended down. Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 18 June 2025 This keeps going until only two candidates remain, according to the board, and the candidate in the lead at that point wins the primary. Oren Oppenheim, ABC News, 17 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for in the lead

Cite this Entry

“In the lead.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/in%20the%20lead. Accessed 24 Jun. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!