lead
verb
uk/liːd/ us/liːd/ led uk/led/ us/led/ [ T ]
to be in charge of a group of people, an organization, or a situation:
They led a management buy-out of the business, raising €10m in capital.
She has been promoted to lead a team that focuses on product development.
He leads the company's worldwide marketing and sales division.
[ I or T ]
to be in front, be first, or be winning in a particular situation or area of business:
German, Swiss, and Scandinavian banks lead the internet-based financial services market in Europe.
[ T ]
to happen before something else happens:
The company has improved operating performance, led by cost reduction efforts and productivity gains.
to influence someone to do sth:
lead sb/sth to do sth Sharply lower profit has led the company to begin an aggressive cost-cutting plan.
lead from the front
to be actively involved in what you are encouraging others to do:
The chairman needs to lead from the front and try to resolve the conflicts.
lead the field/pack/world
to be better or more successful than other people or things:
For ISAs, building societies again led the pack, with 16 of the 20 top-paying providers.
lead the way
to make more progress than other people in the development of something:
lead the way in/on sth The nation's largest state has led the way in higher education and energy conservation.
Experts said women tend to lead the way on issues related to health.
Phrasal verbs
lead to sth
lead up to sth
lead
noun
uk/liːd/ us/liːd/ [ S ]
a winning position in a situation in which people are competing:
give sb/sth a lead The brand will give the company a commanding lead in the important new sector.
have/increase/maintain a lead (over sb/sth) The group's market share rose to 42.9%, increasing its lead over their arch-rival, which has 37.6%.
Goldman maintained its lead as top manager of negotiated sales.
[ C, usually singular ]
an action or example that shows a person or group what to do:
Most competitors will in any case be only too happy to follow the company's lead in raising prices.
take a lead from sb/sth We could take a lead from Finland, where a government programme has dramatically raised the intake of fruit and vegetables.
take a lead on sth The supermarket group took a lead on GM food labelling.
[ C ] MARKETING
a piece of information that allows a discovery to be made, customers to be found, or a solution to be found:
Our business meeting gave me lots of good leads.
lead
adjective [ before noun ]
uk/liːd/ usmost important among a group of people, products, etc.:
a lead company/product The company's lead product for lung and certain blood cancers is in Phase II trials in humans.
The lead negotiator for the teachers' union said he wasn't surprised by the vote.
play a lead role in sth They have played a lead role in the fast and furious growth of e-commerce.