lead 1 |lēd|
verb ( past and past part. led |led|) [ trans. ]
1 cause (a person or animal) to go with one by holding them by the hand, a halter, a rope, etc., while moving forward : she emerged leading a bay horse.
• show (someone or something) the way to a destination by going in front of or beside them : she stood up and led her friend to the door.
• be a reason or motive for (someone) : nothing that I have read about the case leads me to the conclusion that anything untoward happened | a fascination for art led him to start a collection of paintings.
• [ intrans. ] be a route or means of access to a particular place or in a particular direction : a door leading to a better-lit corridor.
• [ intrans. ] ( lead to) culminate in (a particular event) : closing the plant will lead to the loss of 300 jobs.
• [ intrans. ] ( lead on to) form a stage in a process that leads probably or inevitably to (a particular end) : his work on digestion led on to study of proteins and fats.
• ( lead something through) cause a liquid or easily moving matter to pass through (a channel).
2 [ trans. ] be in charge or command of : a military delegation was led by the Chief of Staff.
• organize and direct : the conference included sessions led by people with personal knowledge of the area.
• set (a process) in motion : they are waiting for an expansion of world trade to lead a recovery.
• be the principal player of (a group of musicians) : since the forties he has led his own big bands.
• [ intrans. ] ( lead with) assign the most important position to (a particular news item) : the news on the radio led with the murder.
3 be superior to (competitors or colleagues) : there will be specific areas or skills in which other nations lead the world.
• have the first place in (a competition); be ahead of (competitors) : the veteran jockey was leading the field.
• [ intrans. ] have the advantage in a race or game : Dallas was fortunate to lead 85-72.
4 have or experience (a particular way of life) : she's led a completely sheltered life.
5 initiate (action in a game or contest), in particular
• (in card games) play (the first card) in a trick or round of play.
• [ intrans. ] ( lead with) Boxing make an attack with (a particular punch or fist) : Adam led with a left.
• [ intrans. ] Baseball (of a base runner) advance one or more steps from the base one occupies while the pitcher has the ball : the runner leads from first.
noun |lēd|
1 the initiative in an action; an example for others to follow : The U.S. is now taking the environmental lead.
• a clue to be followed in the resolution of a problem : detectives investigating the murder are chasing new leads.
• (in card games) an act or right of playing first in a trick or round of play : it's your lead.
• the card played first in a trick or round.
2 ( the lead) a position of advantage in a contest; first place : they were beaten 5-3 after twice being in the lead.
• an amount by which a competitor is ahead of the others : the team held a slender one-goal lead.
• Baseball an advance of one or more steps taken by a base runner from the base they occupy while the pitcher has the ball.
3 the chief part in a play or film : she had the lead in a new film | [as adj. ] the lead role.
• the person playing the chief part : he still looked like a romantic lead.
• [usu. as adj. ] the chief performer or instrument of a specified type : that girl will be your lead dancer.
• [often as adj. ] the item of news given the greatest prominence in a newspaper or magazine : the lead story.
4 a leash for a dog or other animal.
5 a wire that conveys electric current from a source to an appliance, or that connects two points of a circuit together.
6 the distance advanced by a screw in one turn.
7 a channel, in particular
• an artificial watercourse leading to a mill.
• a channel of water in an ice field.
PHRASES
lead someone astray cause someone to act or think foolishly or wrongly.
lead someone by the nose informal control someone totally, esp. by deceiving them.
lead someone a dance see dance .
lead from the front take an active role in what one is urging and directing others to do.
lead someone up (or down) the garden path informal give someone misleading clues or signals.
lead the way see way .
lead with one's chin informal (of a boxer) leave one's chin unprotected. • figurative behave or speak incautiously.
PHRASAL VERBS
lead off 1 start : the newsletter leads off with a report on tax bills. • Baseball bat first in a game or inning. 2 (of a door, room, or path) provide access away from a central space : a farm track led off to the left.
lead someone on mislead or deceive someone, esp. into believing that one is in love with or attracted to them.
lead up to immediately precede : the weeks leading up to the elections. • result in : fashioning a policy appropriate to the situation entails understanding the forces that led up to it.
ORIGIN Old English lǣdan, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch leiden and German leiten, also to load and lode .
lead 2 |led|
noun
1 a heavy, bluish-gray, soft, ductile metal, the chemical element of atomic number 82. It has been used in roofing, plumbing, ammunition, storage batteries, radiation shields, etc., and its compounds have been used in crystal glass, as an antiknock agent in gasoline, and (formerly) in paints. (Symbol: Pb)
2 an item or implement made of lead, in particular
• Nautical a lead casting suspended on a line to determine the depth of water.
• bullets.
3 graphite used as the part of a pencil that makes a mark.
4 Printing a blank space between lines of print. [ORIGIN: originally with reference to the metal strip used to create this space.]
PHRASES
get the lead out informal move or work more quickly.
ORIGIN Old English lēad, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch lood ‘lead’ and German Lot ‘plummet, solder.’
auto |ˈôtō|
noun ( pl. -tos) [usu. as modifier ] informal
an automobile : the auto industry.
ORIGIN late 19th cent.: abbreviation of automobile .
auto- (usu. aut- before a vowel)
combining form
1 self : autoanalysis.
• one's own : autograph.
• by oneself or spontaneous : autoxidation.
• by itself or automatic : autofocusing.
2 relating to cars : autocross.
ORIGIN from Greek autos ‘self.’ Sense 2 is a backformation from automobile.
