Thesaurus results for LEADS

leads 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of lead

as in steers

to point out the way for (someone) especially from a position in front an enthusiastic docent led our group through the art museum

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Relevance

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as in commands

to serve as leader of a senior programmer is leading the team that is developing the new accounting software

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as in accompanies

to be at the front of the local high school's marching band led the parade

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as in extends

to be positioned along a certain course or in a certain direction this old road leads to an abandoned quarry

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as in guides

to give advice and instruction to (someone) regarding the course or process to be followed the salesclerk led us through the maze of options now available to television buyers

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leads

2 of 2

noun

plural of lead

as in principals

the person who has the most important role in a play, movie, or TV show the actor's career has really taken off since he became the lead in that prime-time drama

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as in distances

the space or amount of space between two points, lines, surfaces, or objects the runner maintained a lead of several meters all the way around the track

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as in tips

a piece of advice or useful information especially from an expert my sister got a lead on the job opening from her neighbor, who is the human resources director for the company

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as in clues

a slight or indirect pointing to something (as a solution or explanation) the police are now working on several leads generated by the evidence gathered at the crime scene

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of leads

Verb

Monday features three games with the Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks and Denver Nuggets looking to take 2-0 series leads. —

Dan Santaromita, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2026 The team has about a half a dozen more sample tubes to fill and the rover is in good shape, said Jim Bell, a planetary scientist and Arizona State University professor who leads the camera team on Perseverance, which works daily with JPL. —

Justine McDaniel, Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2026 Schnabel, of Cornell, said for many religious Americans, faith leads while politics follows. —

Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2026 Galaxy leads the all-time series 37-35-13. —

Daily News, 19 Apr. 2026 Mehmet Oz, who leads the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said during the announcement that the order was written in less than a week. —

Daniel Payne, STAT, 18 Apr. 2026 Los Angeles leads the all-time series 37-35-13. —

CBS News, 18 Apr. 2026 Bayern, which broke its own goals record on Saturday, leads Dortmund by 12 points with five rounds remaining. —

ABC News, 12 Apr. 2026 Still, Chao is besotted with him, and navigating their odd arranged union leads Stephen slowly to learn how to care for someone so different from him. —

Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 11 Apr. 2026

Noun

But titles feel almost superfluous aboard Evrima, where everyone from the tender drivers to food and beverage leads will pause to actually get to know you, and recall your name and story (and even your drink order) throughout your stay to make the entire experience feel organic and warm. —

Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Apr. 2026 But just the fact that the movie is getting a theatrical release has spurred celebration on social media, with fans of the genre noting that a rom-com with Black leads had not hit the big screen since 2012’s Think Like a Man. —

Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 11 Apr. 2026 There’s a queerness to Mantello’s vision, including a blurring of gender associations that begins with its leads and radiates throughout, that ultimately drains the drama of its potency. —

Naveen Kumar, Variety, 10 Apr. 2026 The leads, though, are mostly innocent. —

Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2026 One night after his team squandered three separate leads in an overtime defeat at Utah, McDavid delivered the kind of performance Edmonton needed. —

ABC News, 9 Apr. 2026 It’s been over two months with no real leads, no suspect identified, and no motive. —

Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 9 Apr. 2026 The two leads are terrific, agreed Houman Barekat in The New York Times. —

The Week Uk, TheWeek, 9 Apr. 2026 Despite being reviewed again in 2008 and 2009, investigators never discovered new leads. —

Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 5 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for leads

Verb

This year’s event raised money for UpSpire⁠, an employment program; Tarrant Area Food Bank; United Community Centers, focusing on food and literacy; and Tarrant To & Through Partnership, which steers students toward college or careers.

— Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Apr. 2026
Studies show that during neutral years, the jet stream often steers storms out to sea rather than toward the Gulf Coast or Southeast, reducing overall landfall risk.

— Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 8 Apr. 2026