: to make a gradual or indirect approach to a topic
Examples of lead-up in a Sentence
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Noun
The lead-up to Kennedy’s circus of sci-fi fantasists and food bloggers provides an object lesson in how the left cedes fertile political territory to the right.—Annie Levin, Washington Post, 10 Feb. 2026 The lead-up to Super Bowl LX included a fashion show this year, as Thom Browne presented his fall 2026 collection at the GQ Bowl February 6.—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 9 Feb. 2026
Verb
While Streeting was on-message with the rest of the Cabinet in supporting Starmer after Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar called for the prime minister to resign, the secretary reportedly spoke with Sarwar in the days leading up to the call for Starmer to resign.—Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 10 Feb. 2026 In the days and weeks leading up to Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show, a nervous kind of hype swept America.—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 9 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for lead-up