leading
Pluralleadings
- 1At or near the top, ahead of all or most others.
Like the runner who is first in a race.
She is the leading scorer on her basketball team.
This company is the leading maker of electric cars in the country.
UsagePut it before a noun: a leading scientist, the leading team.
- 2The -ing form of lead, as in she is leading a team or she is good at leading.
She is leading the team to victory this season.
They are leading us through the forest to the campsite.
Note
- 3Coming or happening before something else, earlier in time or in order.
Remove the leading zeros, so that 0042 becomes just 42.
Economists watch new home building as a leading indicator of the economy.
UsageOften used with its opposite: leading and trailing zeros or spaces.
Oppositefollowing, trailing, lagging
Note
Less common meanings
- 4The act of guiding someone or showing the way.
Like following a guide who shows you which path to take.
She prayed for God's leading before making the big decision.
Many believers ask for God's leading when they face a hard choice.
UsageMostly used about faith: God's leading means God's guidance.
Note
- 5Helping to guide someone or show the way.
Like a hand on your shoulder that gently points you the right way.
The judge stopped the lawyer from asking a leading question.
The teacher's leading questions helped us find the answer ourselves.
UsageMost often in a leading question, which hints at the answer someone wants. It does not mean the most important question.
Similarsuggestive
Oppositeneutral
- 6SayLED-ing/ˈlɛdɪŋ/The blank space between lines of printed text.
Like leaving a gap between rows of seats so nothing feels crowded.
More leading between lines makes a book easier to read.
She added more leading so the lines of text were easier to read.
UsageSay it like lead the metal. You can add more leading between lines.
Similarspacing
Note
- 7Control or command of an army.
Art thou but Captaine of a thouſand horſe, That by Characters grauen in thy browes, And by thy martiall face and ſtout aſpect, Deſeru’ſt to haue the leading of an hoſte?
c. 1587, [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. The First PartHere, leading means command, being in charge of an army.Note
Showing meanings only.
leading is a form of lead
lead, verb: To cause something else to happen as a result. Full entry
- Spelling
- lead → leading: add -ing
Practice
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Origins
This comes from Old English lǣdende, the present participle of a word meaning "to lead." It is really just lead plus -ing.
Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
- Leading derives from Old English lǣdende. en.wiktionary.org
- Lǣdende is the present participle of lǣdan, meaning 'to lead'. en.wiktionary.org
- Leading is equivalent to lead plus -ing. en.wiktionary.org
This is lead plus -ing, from Middle English leding.
Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
- The noun derives from Middle English leding and is equivalent to lead plus -ing. en.wiktionary.org
This is lead (the metal) plus -ing. In old metal typesetting, pieces of lead were used to make the gap between lines.
Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
- Leading is formed from lead (the metal) plus -ing. en.wiktionary.org
- Pieces of lead were used in metal typesetting to create spacing between lines. mmop.org.au