leadoff

1 of 2

noun

lead·​off ˈlēd-ˌȯf 

1

: a beginning or leading action

2

: one that leads off

leadoff adjective

lead off

2 of 2

verb

ˈlēd- 

led off; leading off; leads off

intransitive verb

: begin

also : to come on or perform first

transitive verb

1

: to make a start on : open

2

: to bat first for a baseball team in (an inning)

Synonyms

Verb

• begin
• commence
• embark (on or upon)
• enter (into or upon)
• fall (to)
• get off
• kick off
• launch
• open
• start
• strike (into)

Examples of leadoff in a Sentence

Verb

plans to lead off the news conference with a prepared statement

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Doval allowed a leadoff walk, didn’t hold the runner on, and then Suarez came centimeters away from his second homer of the game, settling for a double. —Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 4 Sep. 2024

The club didn’t do much better against the Angels bullpen, either, stranding a leadoff walk from Chris Taylor in the eighth before getting blown away by Angels closer Ben Joyce –– who hit a season-high 105.5 mph with his fastball — in the ninth. —Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2024

Verb

Geraldo Perdomo led off with a single up the middle, followed by Corbin Carroll’s double down the right-field line. —Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 3 Sep. 2024

Ezequiel Tovar led off with a triple to right, his third triple this season. —Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post, 3 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1886, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1806, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Kids Definition

leadoff

noun

lead·​off ˈlēd-ˌȯf 

1

: a beginning action

2

: one that begins something

leadoff adjective