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
Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2025
Second quarter 2025 billings registered a 3% quarter-over-quarter expansion supported by the leading-edge logic, advanced high bandwidth memory (HBM) related DRAM applications, as well as increase in shipments to Asia.
—Thomas Coughlin, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Sep. 2025
One caveat to all the cheer leading, could come from Resale.
—Meghan Hall, Sourcing Journal, 27 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.
Send us feedback.
Adjective
The death rate in the United States returned to pre-pandemic levels in 2024 as Covid-19 fell out of the top 10 leading causes of death, according to a report published Wednesday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
—Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2025
Second quarter 2025 billings registered a 3% quarter-over-quarter expansion supported by the leading-edge logic, advanced high bandwidth memory (HBM) related DRAM applications, as well as increase in shipments to Asia.
—Thomas Coughlin, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Noun
Robbie, who produced Promising Young Woman and Saltburn, reunites with Fennell once again, this time both as both a producer and leading lady.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Sep. 2025
One caveat to all the cheer leading, could come from Resale.
—Meghan Hall, Sourcing Journal, 27 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 12 Sep. 2025.
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