Word of the Day: Lead
The word “lead” can be used as a verb, a noun, and as an adjective.
In the first set of examples, “lead” means to take someone or something to a place or into a situation. A person who leads controls others and makes decisions for other people. A thing that leads goes in a particular direction.
| simple | past | past participle |
|---|---|---|
|
lead
|
led
|
led
|
- Where does this highway lead to? (Where does the highway go?)
- A degree in business administration can lead to a good career.
- Let’s follow this idea and see where it leads us.
- We were led to believe something that wasn’t true.
- The teacher is leading the class in a lesson on pronunciation.
- The CEO leads an organization of over 500 people.
- The President led the country into a difficult conflict.
- You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink. (This is a popular proverb in the U.S.)
In this next set of sentences, the verb “lead” means that a person or a group is first among others or winning:
- He’s leading a large pack of runners.
- The New York Yankees are leading 3 to nothing.
- The story about a bombing in Pakistan led the news this evening.
- Brazil is leading by two points.
You can also use “lead” as a noun. A lead is a person who is first or provides direction to others:
- Who’s the team lead on this project?
- The runner from Kenya took an early lead in the race.
- Which team has the lead? (Which team is winning?)
- Rhonda has the lead among other candidates for the IT position.
- She has the lead. I think she’ll win.
The words “lead” or leading” are used as adjectives:
- Rhonda is our leading candidate for the job.
- Dr. Smith is a leading authority on this subject.
- The lead role for the film went to Jennifer Lopez. (She’ll be the main star of the movie.)
- The lead author of the report made an appearance before the commission.
Essential English Dictionary
Visit the Popular English Words Beginning with L page to see the list of all words starting with letter L. For seeing the HiCafe dictionary, visit the Popular English Words with Meaning page.
