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
Douglas Schoen, Oc Register, 7 Aug. 2025
Mead landed another leading voice role in 2001, portraying the titular character on the cartoon Lloyd in Space until 2004.
—Keith Langston, People.com, 5 Aug. 2025
Sarah Hernholm, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2025
Her highlights include a starring role as Mother Teresa in 2014's The Letters and leading turns on British series The Village (2013–2014) and Atlantis (2013–2015).
—EW.com, 3 Aug. 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
Nevertheless, there are considerable risks for Newsom, and he’s only added to the potential pitfalls by taking a leading role in the redistricting fight.
—Douglas Schoen, Oc Register, 7 Aug. 2025
Mead landed another leading voice role in 2001, portraying the titular character on the cartoon Lloyd in Space until 2004.
—Keith Langston, People.com, 5 Aug. 2025
Noun
Whether running a travel blog, offering destination consulting, or leading tours, the administrative work can quickly overwhelm the actual revenue-generating activities.
—Sarah Hernholm, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2025
Her highlights include a starring role as Mother Teresa in 2014's The Letters and leading turns on British series The Village (2013–2014) and Atlantis (2013–2015).
—EW.com, 3 Aug. 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 21 Aug. 2025.
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