take the lead
idiom
1
: to take a position that is ahead of others : go first
You take the lead and we'll follow right behind you.
2
: to take the winning position in a race or competition
Her car has taken the lead.
Our team took the lead in the eighth inning.
—often used figurativelyTheir company has taken the lead in developing this new technology.
Examples of take the lead in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Miami responded with a 9-0 run to take the lead on a basket by Herro.
—
Paul Kitagaki Jr., Sacramento Bee, 7 Jan. 2025
Measuring various outcomes beyond age and education, like innovation, language skills, home and business ownership, income growth, and law-abiding citizenship, will help the U.S. take the lead in welcoming immigrants with high adaptability, ambition, and ingenuity scores.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 2 Jan. 2025
Honda will take the lead of the new enterprise, in large part thanks to its larger market capitalization.
—Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 23 Dec. 2024
Itzel's leadership and skills in her media and cinema class led her to take the lead on being the videographer or camerawoman for the production of these four films.
—Gege Reed, The Courier-Journal, 20 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for take the lead 
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.
Paul Kitagaki Jr., Sacramento Bee, 7 Jan. 2025
Measuring various outcomes beyond age and education, like innovation, language skills, home and business ownership, income growth, and law-abiding citizenship, will help the U.S. take the lead in welcoming immigrants with high adaptability, ambition, and ingenuity scores.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 2 Jan. 2025
Honda will take the lead of the new enterprise, in large part thanks to its larger market capitalization.
—Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 23 Dec. 2024
Itzel's leadership and skills in her media and cinema class led her to take the lead on being the videographer or camerawoman for the production of these four films.
—Gege Reed, The Courier-Journal, 20 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for take the lead
Dictionary Entries Near take the lead
Cite this Entry
“Take the lead.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/take%20the%20lead. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share