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to lead

to lead

874 1.0
To go with someone and show them the way to a place
  • verb
  • /liːd/
: guiar
  • And so the guide leads us through this small village.
  • lead the way
  • lead a tour
  • lead an expedition

You know, you can lead a horse to water.

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Examples

  • Lord Liu, lead the way.

  • You know, you can lead a horse to water.

  • Is this the man you want to lead us?

  • OK, if you send me, I would go anywhere you lead me, I'll follow.

  • And I'd like to lead you by the hand through this.

  • We need Stevie to lead us to the right answer.

  • She will lead us to him.

  • I intend to lead my companions here, as I intend to lead them in the afterlife.

    Academic text (2011)
  • The rising star of the cabinet, Minister Ngawang Jigme... made an offering of his own to greet the Chinese generals... and lead them through Lhasa.

  • The teacher will lead the students on a field trip to the museum.

Synonyms

to take
vsto lead
∞ 1.0

Move someone or something to another place

focuses on going with someone to show the way rather than just moving them
to take someone to
vsto lead
∞ 1.7

Go with a person to bring them to a place

can also mean showing the way without physically bringing someone
to walk
vsto lead
312 1.0

To go with someone on foot to keep them safe

can apply to going with someone by any mode, not only on foot
to escort
vsto lead
290 4.0

To go with someone to protect or help them

focuses on showing the way rather than protecting or offering courtesy
to guide
vsto lead
260 1.0

To show someone the way by going with them

is broader, used both when accompanying and when only pointing the way
to direct
vsto lead
239 1.6

To tell someone what to do or show them the way

usually involves going with someone or actively showing the route
to see
vsto lead
47 3.9

To go with someone to the door or their car as a courtesy

is broader, used for guiding in many situations beyond courtesy accompaniment
to point the way
vsto lead
16 3.0

To show the right path or direction to follow

often means going with someone to show the way, not only indicating direction
to conduct
vsto lead
  • Formal
5 4.3

To lead someone carefully to a place, for example to their seat

is more general and less formal about accompanying or showing the way

Antonyms

607 3.1

Leave someone or something behind permanently and without care

Idioms

45 3.5

Holding the first position in a game or race

4 7.7

Make someone do what you want without them noticing

3 8.4

To delay saying the most important part of a story so readers miss it

to eat lead
  • Offensive
2 9.9

To be shot at with bullets

You can reach the same result in many different ways

1 3.0

Ahead of other people in a race or competition

To marry someone in a formal wedding ceremony

Act in a way that makes you open to attack or criticism

In a first position that gives an advantage in a competition

Phrasal Verbs

∞ 2.5

To cause something to happen, often with bad results

148 4.0

To cause events that prepare for something that happens later

143 3.8

Slowly move toward an event or result

To start guiding a group or activity and make the main decisions

to lead on
  • Informal
42 6.0

To make someone think you want a relationship or a future with them when you do not

28 3.8

To start an event or activity, for example a speech

To make someone go the wrong way, behave badly, or believe things that are not true

Fail to give any useful result or make progress

to lead off
  • Archaic
2 8.2

To cause someone, often a young person, to do bad things

To stand at the front of a group and direct them

To find a useful clue that helps an investigation

Compounds

lead story
  • Literature
32 3.0

The most important news story in a newspaper, on TV, or online

lead-in
  • Literature
14 4.9

A short introduction before the main part of a talk or story

lead poisoning
  • Specialized
11 3.9

A condition that happens when too much lead gets into the body and makes you sick

lead time
  • Specialized
9 4.5

The time between starting and finishing a process often used in business

1 3.5

Does not contain the metal lead

1 1.3

A pencil that uses graphite for writing or drawing

lead-acid battery
  • Specialized
1 3.9

A rechargeable device with lead plates and weak sulphuric acid used in cars and for backup power

lead glass
  • Specialized
1 6.3

Glass made with small amounts of the metal lead that is very clear and sparkly

lead sheet
  • Specialized
1 6.0

A piece of music that shows the tune, words, and chords

1 2.4

A thin dark core inside a pencil that makes marks on paper

white lead
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A poisonous white pigment made from a heavy metal and used in older paints

red lead
  • Specialized
1 9.1

A bright red powder used to make paint and to protect metal from rust

black lead
  • Archaic
1 8.6

A soft black material in pencil cores that is also used as a nuclear reactor moderator called graphite

1 5.5

A dull grey-blue color like old metal

lead bank
  • Jargon
1 6.9

A bank that coordinates a group of other banks to give a loan together

lead sandwich
  • Informal
1 8.4

A very heavy, very filling sandwich people joke about to mean a hard situation

tetraethyl lead
  • Archaic
1 9.4

A clear oily poison once added to petrol or gasoline to stop engine knocking

hard lead
  • Specialized
1 8.1

Heavy metal that people make harder by adding antimony or other metals for industrial use

lead ore
  • Specialized
1 6.3

A rock that contains a heavy grey metal people take out to use

lead chromate
  • Specialized
1 9.3

A bright yellow poisonous chemical used to make paint

lead line
  • Archaic
1 8.1

A rope with a heavy lead weight that sailors lower to measure water depth from a boat

lead arsenate
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A poisonous white chemical once used to kill insects on crops

lead carbonate
  • Archaic
1 8.9

A white poisonous powder that contains lead and was used to make paint

lead-in
  • Specialized
1 7.0

A wire that connects an antenna to a TV or radio

pig lead
  • Specialized
1 9.3

Blocks of lead made for storage or moving

1 8.1

A short wire with metal clips at both ends used to make temporary electric connections

lead acetate
  • Specialized
1 8.4

A poisonous white chemical used to dye cloth and make coatings for metal and wood

lead colic
  • Archaic
1 9.9

Severe belly pain and constipation caused by long term lead poisoning

1 4.7

Short wire with clips at each end that makes a temporary electrical connection between two points

sugar of lead
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A poisonous white chemical used long ago to dye fabrics and make glazes

sounding lead
  • Archaic
1 9.3

A heavy metal weight tied to a rope used to measure how deep water is

antimonial lead
  • Specialized
8.1

A metal made from lead and a little of another metal used to make parts stronger and resist corrosion

9.9

A shrub that grows on sandy river banks and is thought to show nearby lead

A rechargeable battery with lead plates and acid used in cars and backup power

A person who starts and encourages dancing at parties

lead tetraethyl
  • Archaic
9.9

A clear oily poisonous liquid once added to gasoline to reduce engine knocking

7.9

A low bushy tropical tree with feathery leaves and long pods used for animal food and to help the soil

green lead ore
  • Specialized
9.9

A green rock that contains lead and gives small amounts of lead when processed

red-lead putty
  • Archaic
9.3

A thick paste used to seal metal pipe joints

white lead ore
  • Specialized
9.9

A mineral that contains lead and is used to make white paint

How Direct

to lead
874 1.0
escort
115 4.0
to shepherd
1 3.0
to show
748 1.0

Surface Forms

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

Etymology

Lead To lead someone to a place by going with them comes from the verb lead 'to guide', so a person who leads shows the way and brings others along.