: the time between the beginning of a process or project and the appearance of its results
Examples of lead time in a Sentence
We will need at least six months lead time before production begins.
Recent Examples on the Web
Unlike the flu or COVID-19, tuberculosis has a long lead time.
—
Paul Sisson, Mercury News, 25 Mar. 2025
Unfortunately, economists have a poor track record of accurately predicting economic growth with enough lead time, and consensus estimates tend to lag behind real-time data.
—Bill Stone, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2025
In Need of Renovation What is the lead time for customization, manufacturing, and delivery?
—Stewart Savin, Architectural Digest, 21 Mar. 2025
Issues cited in the lawsuit include meters failing to read, meters turning off, meters failing to communicate with the system, hardware failures, software failures, long lead time for meter replacements, and failure of the data transfer file.
—Ron Hurtibise, Sun Sentinel, 20 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lead time
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Paul Sisson, Mercury News, 25 Mar. 2025
Unfortunately, economists have a poor track record of accurately predicting economic growth with enough lead time, and consensus estimates tend to lag behind real-time data.
—Bill Stone, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2025
In Need of Renovation What is the lead time for customization, manufacturing, and delivery?
—Stewart Savin, Architectural Digest, 21 Mar. 2025
Issues cited in the lawsuit include meters failing to read, meters turning off, meters failing to communicate with the system, hardware failures, software failures, long lead time for meter replacements, and failure of the data transfer file.
—Ron Hurtibise, Sun Sentinel, 20 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lead time
Cite this Entry
“Lead time.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lead%20time. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
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