1
: coming or ranking first : foremost
2
: exercising leadership
3
: providing direction or guidance
a leading question
4
: given most prominent display
the leading story
plural leadings
1
: a covering or framework of lead
repaired the leading in the church's stained glass windows
2
typography
: the distance between a pair of adjacent lines in composed text
increased the leading after the header
a leading of 6 points
Examples of leading in a Sentence
Adjective
a leading topic of conversation
Their family played a leading part in the settlement of the town.
the leading role in a major Hollywood movie
a leading citizen of the town
She's one of the leading authorities on the stock market.
Recent Examples on the Web
Sean Stein Smith, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025
The student played a leading role in last year’s campus protests about the rising death toll in Gaza in Israel’s war against Hamas and the university’s investment ties to Israel, acting as a mediator between Columbia administrators and student protesters.
—Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 24 Apr. 2025
Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 25 Apr. 2025
Share your expertise and pitch yourself for expert commentary opportunities so you can be featured by journalists and leading publications in your field.
—Rachel Wells, Forbes.com, 18 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for leading
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.
Adjective
Stablecoins, providing stability, traceability, auditability, and yield (income) potential for institutional players and customers alike, look well positioned to play a leading role in crypto banking growth moving forward.
—Sean Stein Smith, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025
The student played a leading role in last year’s campus protests about the rising death toll in Gaza in Israel’s war against Hamas and the university’s investment ties to Israel, acting as a mediator between Columbia administrators and student protesters.
—Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 24 Apr. 2025
Noun
In Asia, markets rose, with Japan’s Nikkei 225 up almost 2% and leading gains.
—Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 25 Apr. 2025
Share your expertise and pitch yourself for expert commentary opportunities so you can be featured by journalists and leading publications in your field.
—Rachel Wells, Forbes.com, 18 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for leading
Cite this Entry
“Leading.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/leading. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share