lead

Sense 1 noun

an advantage held by a competitor in a race

he took the lead at the last turn

Sense 2 verb

take somebody somewhere

We lead him to our chief

Sense 3 noun

a soft heavy toxic malleable metallic element; bluish white when freshly cut but tarnishes readily to dull grey

the children were playing with lead soldiers

Sense 4 verb

have as a result or residue

The water left a mark on the silk dress

Sense 5 noun

evidence pointing to a possible solution

the police are following a promising lead

Sense 6 verb

tend to or result in

This remark lead to further arguments among the guests

Sense 7 noun

a position of leadership (especially in the phrase `take the lead')

he takes the lead in any group

Sense 8 verb

travel in front of; go in advance of others

The procession was headed by John

Sense 9 noun

the angle between the direction a gun is aimed and the position of a moving target (correcting for the flight time of the missile)

Sense 10 verb

cause to undertake a certain action

Her greed led her to forge the checks

Sense 11 noun

the introductory section of a story

it was an amusing lead-in to a very serious matter

Sense 12 verb

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

Sense 13 noun

(sports) the score by which a team or individual is winning

Sense 14 verb

be in charge of

Who is heading this project?

Sense 15 noun

an actor who plays a principal role

Sense 16 verb

be ahead of others; be the first

she topped her class every year

Sense 17 noun

(baseball) the position taken by a base runner preparing to advance to the next base

he took a long lead off first

Sense 18 verb

be conducive to

The use of computers in the classroom lead to better writing

Sense 19 noun

an indication of potential opportunity

he got a tip on the stock market

Sense 20 verb

lead, as in the performance of a composition

conduct an orchestra; Barenboim conducted the Chicago symphony for years

Sense 21 noun

a news story of major importance

Sense 22 verb

lead, extend, or afford access

This door goes to the basement

Sense 23 noun

the timing of ignition relative to the position of the piston in an internal-combustion engine

Sense 24 verb

move ahead (of others) in time or space

Sense 25 noun

restraint consisting of a rope (or light chain) used to restrain an animal

Sense 26 verb

cause something to pass or lead somewhere

Run the wire behind the cabinet

Sense 27 noun

thin strip of metal used to separate lines of type in printing

Sense 28 verb

preside over

John moderated the discussion

Sense 29 noun

mixture of graphite with clay in different degrees of hardness; the marking substance in a pencil

Sense 30 noun

a jumper that consists of a short piece of wire

it was a tangle of jumper cables and clip leads

Sense 31 noun

the playing of a card to start a trick in bridge

the lead was in the dummy