How to Use lead-up in a Sentence

lead-up

1 of 2 noun
  • What was the lead-up to the 2007 NHL draft like for the Hawks?
    — Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 25 June 2023
  • There were signs in the lead-up to the first round that maybe Sanders would fall in the draft.
    — Jacob Lev, CNN Money, 25 Apr. 2025
  • In 2023, the lead-up to the National Book Awards was fraught.
    — Emma Alpern, Vulture, 21 Nov. 2024
  • How does this podcast serve as a lead-up to that event?
    — Okla Jones, Essence, 5 Sep. 2024
  • The lead-up to their big day was captured in the first season of Don't Be Tardy.
    — Dory Jackson, Peoplemag, 8 May 2023
  • The new dad teased that viewers may see the lead-up to the birth of his son, Theodore in season 3.
    — Natalia Senanayake, Peoplemag, 4 Apr. 2024
  • What are your predictions for the lead-up to the finale?
    — Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 8 Aug. 2024
  • Stefany says of the lead-up to their first encounter at the airport.
    — Rachel McRady, People.com, 4 May 2025
  • Read full article The lead-up to the awards was full of drama.
    — Alexa Gagosz, BostonGlobe.com, 19 June 2023
  • The lead-up to the July 28 election has not been promising.
    — Karen Deyoung, Washington Post, 15 July 2024
  • The lead-up to the landing wasn’t without some hiccups.
    — Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 23 Feb. 2024
  • See behind the scenes of her stage-ready glam and the lead-up to her big moment and read all about it — in her words!
    — Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 28 Apr. 2023
  • The classic is one of the last lead-up meets before the U.S. team is selected.
    — Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 19 May 2024
  • Fans were plentiful, as were cameras to capture the action and the lead-up to the games.
    — Stephen Saito, Variety, 8 Sep. 2023
  • The announcement kicks off the one-year lead-up to the Games, which will run from 26 July to 11 August.
    — Laure Guilbault, Vogue, 24 July 2023
  • An video posted to Facebook shows the lead-up to the incident.
    — Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 25 Feb. 2025
  • That $40 million project is said to be focusing on the lead-up to her return to the East Wing.
    — Rosemary Feitelberg, WWD, 9 Jan. 2025
  • The second installment of the show will detail the lead-up to and coverage of the Paris Olympics.
    — Katelyn Hutchison, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024
  • This is precisely what Macron tried to do in the lead-up to Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine.
    — Daniel Depetris, The Mercury News, 21 Mar. 2024
  • The lead-up to the Games have been tough for several notable athletes.
    — Candace Buckner, Washington Post, 30 June 2024
  • What will Cohen say about the lead-up to hush money payments?
    — Aysha Bagchi, USA TODAY, 12 May 2024
  • Pope was born in 1858 on the lead-up to the Civil War and was raised in Northampton County by free parents.
    — Chase Jordan, Charlotte Observer, 24 Feb. 2025
  • In the would-be lead-up to Lasso, LDR covered a lot of country standards.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 11 Apr. 2025
  • It’s set in the lead-up to his debut runway show in September of last year.
    — Vogue, 20 Mar. 2024
  • And then that propulsive lead-up to the movie’s two-minute drive to intermission.
    — Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2025
  • The event is held during the lead-up to Lent, per Britannica.
    — Michelle Lee, People.com, 4 Mar. 2025
  • And that tension sets up a riveting two-week lead-up to the deadline.
    — Jovan Buha, The Athletic, 24 Jan. 2025
  • The lead-up to the final Eras Tour dates has been an emotional one for the musician.
    — Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 8 Dec. 2024
  • Colorado has eight Olympians, including four who have been injured at some point during the lead-up to the break.
    — Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 31 Jan. 2026
  • Minott healthy, two bigs sit An illness hit the Celtics’ locker room during the lead-up to Monday’s game.
    — Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 27 Jan. 2026

lead up

2 of 2 verb
  • The years leading up to menopause can be full of changes.
    — Eden Arielle Gordon, SELF, 13 Dec. 2023
  • Make a few and arrange them on the lawn leading up to the door.
    — Jessica Cherner, House Beautiful, 2 Aug. 2023
  • That process could begin in the days leading up to the draft.
    — Bryan Toporek, Forbes.com, 10 June 2025
  • Many of the events leading up to the 500 will be shown on FS1, as well as on the Fox Sports app.
    — Greg Engle, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2024
  • But in the days leading up to the race, Farley had his doubts.
    — Kelyn Soong, Washington Post, 5 Jan. 2024
  • This has been done in other cities in the weeks leading up to the show.
    — Hayleigh Colombo, The Indianapolis Star, 4 Sep. 2024
  • Here's a list of fast and slow jams to groove to in the days leading up to Super Bowl 58.
    — Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 23 Feb. 2024
  • Through the gate the pathway is walled with stone, the stairs are slate and lead up to the mansion itself.
    — Catherine Dunwoody, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024
  • Team rosters will be announced in the weeks leading up to the event.
    — Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 17 June 2024
  • No doubt about it, the lead up to the holidays is stressful.
    — Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Dec. 2024
  • His go-to look for the events leading up to the wedding was a J.Crew white shirt paired with Tom Ford cream trousers.
    — Alexandra MacOn, Vogue, 15 Mar. 2024
  • What's a typical day of eating in the week leading up to the marathon?
    — Sam Stone, Bon Appétit, 3 Nov. 2023
  • But so much of the rhetoric around Ewers, even in the days leading up to the Peach Bowl, was about his future.
    — Sam Khan Jr., The Athletic, 1 Jan. 2025
  • In the days leading up to the U.S. strike, Israel appeared to be winning.
    — Kim Hjelmgaard, USA Today, 22 June 2025
  • Steve Ducote fears that in the days leading up to Megan's death, the couple may have been fighting.
    — David Begnaud, CBS News, 6 Jan. 2024
  • The months leading up to the 1963 March were bloody and full of conflict between activists and racists.
    — Fredrick Kunkle, Washington Post, 26 Aug. 2023
  • Shopping for your wedding weekend and all of the events leading up to the big day?
    — Anny Choi, Vogue, 2 July 2024
  • The Spanish-style stone façade is flanked by greenery leading up to the arched front door.
    — Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 18 July 2024
  • Well, what could happen in those two days leading up to my shift?
    — Janelle Sherako, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Feb. 2025
  • Stori opened up to Today about the events that led up to her special visit.
    — Raven Brunner, People.com, 26 May 2025
  • Olivia Culpo is in the final stretch leading up to her wedding!
    — Kimberlee Speakman, Peoplemag, 7 May 2024
  • The cast for Season Two will be revealed in the coming weeks leading up to the premiere.
    — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 14 July 2025
  • But little moments leading up to his grand slam helped set the stage.
    — Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 24 May 2025
  • Melanie later said Bloom had complained about leg cramps in the days leading up to his death.
    — Laura Barcella, Peoplemag, 6 Apr. 2023
  • The high risk of wildfires was well known by officials in the days leading up to the outbreak on Maui.
    — Matt Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2023
  • The poster then explained the events leading up to the viral fight inside the World of Disney store caught on video by @bbrookee20.
    — Colson Thayer, People.com, 12 July 2025
  • Practice in the days leading up to the game is where some of the elites at their position battled it out.
    — Justin Grasso, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Aug. 2025
  • In the final weeks leading up to the stadium sales tax vote, the teams cast White as a villain.
    — Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 22 Apr. 2024
  • This was all in the lead up to the divorce between Lionsgate and Starz.
    — Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2025
  • In the days leading up to the big game, Jenner's spicy appearance in the commercial made the rounds on social media.
    — Sarah Whitten,sara Salinas,sarah Jackson,leslie Josephs, CNBC, 8 Feb. 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lead-up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: