Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
🚦 To start 😈 To corrupt
to lead off

to lead off

28 3.8
To start an event or activity, for example a speech
  • phrasal verb
  • /liːd ɔf/
: iniciar
  • Next time, lead off with one or two of the listeners.

Examples

  • Teachers may lead off listening with a directed question to students and follow with continued challenges.

    Academic text (2005)

  • I'm curious, Ray, maybe you can lead off on this leadership and battle.

  • When she was asked to lead off the discussion, she was ready with her response and comfortable giving it.

    Academic text (2006)

  • And I'll, I'll lead off with the first one.

  • And I can't think of a better person to lead off this presentation than my friend and colleague David Lewis.

  • Disappointment, lost friendships, lost loves—these are the themes that lead off the book.

    Blog text (20)

  • At the preliminary hearing, the Dodgers' official timekeeper led off the show by validating the timing of the Curb footage.

    Academic text (2004)

  • William J. Barry, the rector of Cincinnati's archdiocesan seminary, Mount St. Mary's of the West, led off with a general review of the subject in 1859.

    Academic text (2005)

  • The event will lead off with an opening speech from the mayor.

  • She will lead off the meeting by presenting the main agenda items.

Synonyms

to start
vsto lead off
∞ 1.0

To begin an action, event or process

is used especially for getting events or sequences going
to begin
vsto lead off
∞ 1.0

To start an activity, event, or speech

is focused on opening events or series rather than broad actions
to start out
vsto lead off
465 1.4

To begin a job, project, or career

is about opening events broadly, not only the initial steps
to initiate
vsto lead off
347 4.5

To start something such as a project or discussion

is the plain act of opening rather than formally triggering it
to kick off
vsto lead off
168 3.5

To start an event or activity, often officially

is a general opening without the official or ceremonial sense
to commence
vsto lead off
  • Formal
157 4.4

To begin something

is the neutral act of opening, not necessarily formal
to get the ball rolling
vsto lead off
17 2.8

To start a meeting or project by taking the first step

is opening something in general, not only by the first practical action
to jump off
vsto lead off
11 4.8

To start quickly and get an early lead

is an opening without implying speed or early success
to start into
vsto lead off
  • Informal
2 4.3

Begin speaking or acting quickly with energy about a topic

is to open something generally, without sudden energetic emphasis
to fire the starting gun
vsto lead off
1 5.1

To start a project or activity

is plain opening without a ceremonial or decisive signal
to leadoff
vsto lead off
  • US
1 3.8

To begin an event by doing the first action

is the general act of opening an event or series

Antonyms

to end
∞ 1.0

To stop something or make it finish

How Major

to launch
765 3.7
to open
∞ 1.0
to kick off
168 3.5
to lead off
28 3.8
to start
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

lead off infinitive
leading off present participle
leads off third person singular
led off past
led off past participle

Morphology

lead + off

The core idea — causing someone to go 'away' from good behavior — can be inferred from 'lead' (to cause or guide) plus the particle 'off' (away), so a learner who knows the constituents could plausibly guess meaning in a context like 'lead him off into bad habits.' However, the specific sense of moral corruption is metaphorical and relies on phrasal-verb conventions (cf. 'lead astray'), so the exact pragmatic nuance is not fully predictable without prior exposure.

Etymology

Lead off comes from the image of a person walking in front to start a group moving: the leader leads and goes off first. So, it means 'to begin' or 'to start' an event or action.