- the lead[singular] the position ahead of everyone else in a race or competition
- She took the lead in the second lap.
- to hold (onto)/regain the lead
- in the lead The Democrats now appear to be in the lead.
- into the lead He has gone into the lead.
- The lead car is now three minutes ahead of the rest of the field.
Extra ExamplesTopics Sports: other sportsb1- That game puts her back into the lead.
- They regained the lead with only a few minutes left to play.
- We were struggling to stay in the lead.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- big
- clear
- comfortable
- …
- be in
- gain
- have
- …
- in the lead1
- into the lead1
- lead1 over
- …
- [singular] lead (over somebody/something) the amount or distance that somebody/something is in front of somebody/something else synonym advantage
- a commanding/comfortable lead
- to extend/stretch/double/increase your lead
- lead of something Labour have taken a lead of five points in the polls.
- lead (of something) over somebody/something He managed to hold a lead of two seconds over his closest rival.
- An own goal from United gave Chelsea an early two-goal lead in the 11th minute.
Extra Examples- The polls have given Labour a five-point lead.
- Manchester lost their early two-goal lead.
- They took an early lead.
- They took a 3–0 lead in the first leg of the semi-final.
- The yacht quickly established a one-mile lead over the nearest rival.
- This win gives the team a two-point lead over their closest rival.
- He had opened up a small lead over his opponent.
- The team has now built up a commanding lead.
- She has a narrow lead over the other runners.
- Opinion polls showed him with a solid lead over his rivals.
- Houston increased their lead to 13–7
- Sheffield increased their lead just before half time.
- He gradually extended his lead in the second half of the race to win by 49 seconds.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- big
- clear
- comfortable
- …
- be in
- gain
- have
- …
- in the lead1
- into the lead1
- lead1 over
- …
- [singular] an example or action for people to copy
- If one bank raises interest rates, all the others will follow their lead.
- If we take the lead in this (= start to act), others may follow.
- You go first—I'll take my lead from you.
Extra Examples- Sixth-formers are seen to give the lead to younger students.
- Intellectuals took the lead in criticism of the government.
- The country is yearning for a firm moral lead.
- The report did not provide a clear lead for the improvement of training.
- The government should give a lead in tackling racism.
- We should follow their lead in banning chemical weapons.
- corporations that have chosen to take the lead on the privacy issue
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- moral
- give
- take
- follow
- …
- lead1 in
- lead1 on
- [countable] a piece of information that may help to find out the truth or facts about a situation, especially a crime synonym clue
- The police will follow up all possible leads.
Extra Examples- leads on the murderer's identity
- They have several solid leads in their investigation.
- The police are following every possible lead.
- Some promising leads are already emerging.
- It turned out to be a false lead.
- He said that he has a lead as to where Dylan may be.
- Did you find any leads when you searched it?
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- good
- promising
- solid
- …
- have
- find
- get
- …
- lead1 as to
- lead1 on
- [countable] a person or thing that may be useful to you, especially a possible new customer or business opportunity
- The marketing campaign generated hundreds of new leads.
- [countable] the main part in a play, film, etc.; the person who plays this part
- Who is playing the lead?
- the male/female lead
- Both Christine and Fiona want the lead role.
- I always dreamed of becoming the lead singer in a band.
- the band's lead guitarist
Extra ExamplesTopics Film and theatrec1- Who is playing the lead?
- He sings the lead on four tracks.
- Her big break came when she was chosen to play the lead in a Broadway musical.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- romantic
- female
- male
- …
- play
- sing
- character
- role
- actor
- …
- [countable] the person in charge of a project, department, etc.
- Sam is the lead on this project.
- Dr Mary Steadman, clinical lead in Accident and Emergency at the Royal Berkshire Hospital
- He will become the lead presenter of the show from next month.
- (also lede)[countable] (US English) the first sentence or paragraph of a news story, giving the most important points of the story
- Check out this lead from Monday's front page story:…
- (British English) (also leash especially in North American English)[countable] a long piece of leather, chain or rope used for holding and controlling a dog
- on a lead Dogs must be kept on a lead in the park.
Extra Examples- Let the dog off the lead.
- We have to keep him on a tight lead when there are other dogs around.
- Give your dog a period of exercise off the lead.
- [countable] (British English) a long piece of wire, usually covered in plastic, that is used to connect a piece of electrical equipment to a source of electricity see also extension lead, jump lead
first place
example
information
in business
actor/musician
person in charge
news
for dog
for electricity
Word OriginOld English lǣdan, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch leiden and German leiten, also to load and lode.
Idioms
See lead in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee lead in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishbury the lede/lead (US English)
- to fail to emphasize the most important part of a story or account
- Unfortunately, he buried the lede in the last paragraph of the story.
Check pronunciation:
lead1