led up; leading up; leads up
Examples of lead-up in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Ernie Suggs,
AJC.com,
3 July 2026
The pressure was to make the team, the pressure was all the lead-up and the buildup to being a part of a home World Cup.
—
Sean Gregory,
Time,
1 July 2026
ABC News,
5 July 2026
Giovani Lo Celso’s free kick was excellent (albeit the foul leading up to it was suspect) before Lionel Messi scored from a dead ball too after coming off the bench.
—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
5 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for lead-up
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.
Noun
On Friday, as part of the lead-up to the Peachtree Road Race, Darryl 'DMC' McDaniels will headline a free performance at Lenox Square.
—
Ernie Suggs,
AJC.com,
3 July 2026
The pressure was to make the team, the pressure was all the lead-up and the buildup to being a part of a home World Cup.
—
Sean Gregory,
Time,
1 July 2026
Verb
Months of legal jostling leading up to the hearing centered largely on media access.
—
ABC News,
5 July 2026
Giovani Lo Celso’s free kick was excellent (albeit the foul leading up to it was suspect) before Lionel Messi scored from a dead ball too after coming off the bench.
—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
5 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for lead-up
Cite this Entry
“Lead-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lead-up. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
lead up
verb
: to make a gradual approach to a topic
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
