| Noun | 1. | lead - a soft heavy toxic malleable metallic element; bluish white when freshly cut but tarnishes readily to dull gray; "the children were playing with lead soldiers" Synonyms: atomic number 82, Pb |
| 2. | lead - an advantage held by a competitor in a race; "he took the lead at the last turn" | |
| 3. | lead - evidence pointing to a possible solution; "the police are following a promising lead"; "the trail led straight to the perpetrator" | |
| 4. | lead - a position of leadership (especially in the phrase `take the lead'); "he takes the lead in any group"; "we were just waiting for someone to take the lead"; "they didn't follow our lead" | |
| 5. | lead - the angle between the direction a gun is aimed and the position of a moving target (correcting for the flight time of the missile) | |
| 6. | lead - the introductory section of a story; "it was an amusing lead-in to a very serious matter" Synonyms: lead-in | |
| 7. | lead - an actor who plays a principal role | |
| 8. | lead - (baseball) the position taken by a base runner preparing to advance to the next base; "he took a long lead off first" | |
| 9. | lead - an indication of potential opportunity; "he got a tip on the stock market"; "a good lead for a job" | |
| 10. | lead - a news story of major importanceSynonyms: lead story | |
| 11. | lead - the timing of ignition relative to the position of the piston in an internal-combustion engine Synonyms: spark advance | |
| 12. | lead - restraint consisting of a rope (or light chain) used to restrain an animal | |
| 13. | lead - thin strip of metal used to separate lines of type in printing Synonyms: leading | |
| 14. | lead - mixture of graphite with clay in different degrees of hardness; the marking substance in a pencilSynonyms: pencil lead | |
| 15. | lead - a jumper that consists of a short piece of wire; "it was a tangle of jumper cables and clip leads" Synonyms: jumper cable, jumper lead | |
| 16. | lead - the playing of a card to start a trick in bridge; "the lead was in the dummy" | |
| Verb | 1. | lead - take somebody somewhere; "We lead him to our chief"; "can you take me to the main entrance?"; "He conducted us to the palace" |
| 2. | lead - result in; "The water left a mark on the silk dress"; "Her blood left a stain on the napkin" | |
| 3. | lead - tend to or result in; "This remark lead to further arguments among the guests" | |
| 4. | lead - travel in front of; go in advance of others; "The procession was headed by John" Synonyms: head | |
| 5. | lead - cause to undertake a certain action; "Her greed led her to forge the checks" | |
| 6. | lead - stretch out over a distance, space, time, or scope; run or extend between two points or beyond a certain point; "Service runs all the way to Cranbury"; "His knowledge doesn't go very far"; "My memory extends back to my fourth year of life"; "The facts extend beyond a consideration of her personal assets" | |
| 7. | lead - be in charge of; "Who is heading this project?" Synonyms: head | |
| 8. | lead - be ahead of others; be the first; "she topped her class every year" Synonyms: top | |
| 9. | lead - be conducive to; "The use of computers in the classroom lead to better writing" Synonyms: conduce, contribute | |
| 10. | lead - lead, as in the performance of a composition; "conduct an orchestra; Bairenboim conducted the Chicago symphony for years" | |
| 11. | lead - pass or spend; "lead a good life" | |
| 12. | lead - lead, extend, or afford access; "This door goes to the basement"; "The road runs South" Synonyms: go | |
| 13. | lead - move ahead (of others) in time or space Synonyms: precede | |
| 14. | lead - cause something to pass or lead somewhere; "Run the wire behind the cabinet" Synonyms: run | |
| 15. | lead - preside over; "John moderated the discussion" |