Lead word meaning and definition

[noun] the playing of a card to start a trick in bridge; "the lead was in the dummy"
[noun] a position of leadership (especially in the phrase `take the lead'); "he takes the lead in any group"; "we were just waiting for someone to take the lead"; "they didn't follow our lead"
[noun] a jumper that consists of a short piece of wire; "it was a tangle of jumper cables and clip leads"
[noun] mixture of graphite with clay in different degrees of hardness; the marking substance in a pencil
[noun] thin strip of metal used to separate lines of type in printing
[noun] restraint consisting of a rope (or light chain) used to restrain an animal
[noun] the timing of ignition relative to the position of the piston in an internal-combustion engine
[noun] an advantage held by a competitor in a race; "he took the lead at the last turn"
[noun] evidence pointing to a possible solution; "the police are following a promising lead"; "the trail led straight to the perpetrator"
[noun] the introductory section of a story; "it was an amusing lead-in to a very serious matter"
[noun] a news story of major importance
[noun] an indication of potential opportunity; "he got a tip on the stock market"; "a good lead for a job"
[noun] (baseball) the position taken by a base runner preparing to advance to the next base; "he took a long lead off first"
[noun] an actor who plays a principal role
[noun] the angle between the direction a gun is aimed and the position of a moving target (correcting for the flight time of the missile)
[noun] a soft heavy toxic malleable metallic element; bluish white when freshly cut but tarnishes readily to dull gray; "the children were playing with lead soldiers"
[verb] cause to undertake a certain action; "Her greed led her to forge the checks"
[verb] preside over; "John moderated the discussion"
[verb] lead, as in the performance of a musical composition; "conduct an orchestra; Bairenboim conducted the Chicago symphony for years"
[verb] move ahead (of others) in time or space
[verb] travel in front of; go in advance of others; "The procession was headed by John"
[verb] take somebody somewhere; "We lead him to our chief"; "can you take me to the main entrance?"; "He conducted us to the palace"
[verb] be in charge of; "Who is heading this project?"
[verb] be conducive to; "The use of computers in the classroom lead to better writing"
[verb] result in; "The water left a mark on the silk dress"; "Her blood left a stain on the napkin"

\Lead\ (l[e^]d), n. [OE. led, leed, lead, AS. le['a]d; akin to D. lood, MHG. l[=o]t, G. loth plummet, sounding lead, small weight, Sw. & Dan. lod. [root]123] 1. (Chem.) One of the elements, a heavy, pliable, inelastic metal, having a bright, bluish color, but easily tarnished. It is both malleable and ductile, though with little tenacity, and is used for tubes, sheets, bullets, etc. Its specific gravity is 11.37. It is easily fusible, forms alloys with other metals, and is an ingredient of solder and type metal. Atomic weight, 206.4. Symbol Pb (L. Plumbum). It is chiefly obtained from the mineral galena, lead sulphide. 2. An article made of lead or an alloy of lead; as:
(a) A plummet or mass of lead, used in sounding at sea.
(b) (Print.) A thin strip of type metal, used to separate lines of type in printing.
(c) Sheets or plates of lead used as a covering for roofs; hence, pl., a roof covered with lead sheets or terne plates. I would have the tower two stories, and goodly leads upon the top. --Bacon 3. A small cylinder of black lead or plumbago, used in pencils. {Black lead}, graphite or plumbago; -- so called from its leadlike appearance and streak. [Colloq.] {Coasting lead}, a sounding lead intermediate in weight between a hand lead and deep-sea lead. {Deep-sea lead}, the heaviest of sounding leads, used in water exceeding a hundred fathoms in depth. --Ham. Nav. Encyc. {Hand lead}, a small lead use for sounding in shallow water. {Krems lead}, {Kremnitz lead} [so called from Krems or Kremnitz, in Austria], a pure variety of white lead, formed into tablets, and called also {Krems, or Kremnitz, white}, and {Vienna white}. {Lead arming}, tallow put in the hollow of a sounding lead. See {To arm the lead} (below). {Lead colic}. See under {Colic}. {Lead color}, a deep bluish gray color, like tarnished lead. {Lead glance}. (Min.) Same as {Galena}. {Lead line}
(a) (Med.) A dark line along the gums produced by a deposit of metallic lead, due to lead poisoning.
(b) (Naut.) A sounding line. {Lead mill}, a leaden polishing wheel, used by lapidaries. {Lead ocher} (Min.), a massive sulphur-yellow oxide of lead. Same as {Massicot}. {Lead pencil}, a pencil of which the marking material is graphite (black lead). {Lead plant} (Bot.), a low leguminous plant, genus {Amorpha} ({A. canescens}), found in the Northwestern United States, where its presence is supposed to indicate lead ore. --Gray. {Lead tree}.
(a) (Bot.) A West Indian name for the tropical, leguminous tree, {Leuc[ae]na glauca}; -- probably so called from the glaucous color of the foliage.
(b) (Chem.) Lead crystallized in arborescent forms from a solution of some lead salt, as by suspending a strip of zinc in lead acetate. {Mock lead}, a miner's term for blende. {Red lead}, a scarlet, crystalline, granular powder, consisting of minium when pure, but commonly containing several of the oxides of lead. It is used as a paint or cement and also as an ingredient of flint glass. {Red lead ore} (Min.), crocoite. {Sugar of lead}, acetate of lead. {To arm the lead}, to fill the hollow in the bottom of a sounding lead with tallow in order to discover the nature of the bottom by the substances adhering. --Ham. Nav. Encyc. {To} {cast, or heave}, {the lead}, to cast the sounding lead for ascertaining the depth of water. {White lead}, hydrated carbonate of lead, obtained as a white, amorphous powder, and much used as an ingredient of white paint.
\Lead\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Leaded}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Leading}.] 1. To cover, fill, or affect with lead; as, continuous firing leads the grooves of a rifle. 2. (Print.) To place leads between the lines of; as, to lead a page; leaded matter.
\Lead\ (l[=e]d), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Led} (l[e^]d); p. pr. & vb. n. {Leading}.] [OE. leden, AS. l[=ae]dan (akin to OS. l[=e]dian, D. leiden, G. leiten, Icel. le[imac][eth]a, Sw. leda, Dan. lede), properly a causative fr. AS. li[eth]an to go; akin to OHG. l[imac]dan, Icel. l[imac][eth]a, Goth. lei[thorn]an (in comp.). Cf. {Lode}, {Loath}.] 1. To guide or conduct with the hand, or by means of some physical contact connection; as, a father leads a child; a jockey leads a horse with a halter; a dog leads a blind man. If a blind man lead a blind man, both fall down in the ditch. --Wyclif (Matt. xv. 14.) They thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill. --Luke iv. 29. In thy right hand lead with thee The mountain nymph, sweet Liberty. --Milton. 2. To guide or conduct in a certain course, or to a certain place or end, by making the way known; to show the way, esp. by going with or going in advance of. Hence, figuratively: To direct; to counsel; to instruct; as, to lead a traveler; to lead a pupil. The Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way. --Ex. xiii. 21. He leadeth me beside the still waters. --Ps. xxiii. 2. This thought might lead me through the world's vain mask. Content, though blind, had I no better guide. --Milton. 3. To conduct or direct with authority; to have direction or charge of; as, to lead an army, an exploring party, or a search; to lead a political party. Christ took not upon him flesh and blood that he might conquer and rule nations, lead armies, or possess places. --South. 4. To go or to be in advance of; to precede; hence, to be foremost or chief among; as, the big sloop led the fleet of yachts; the Guards led the attack; Demosthenes leads the orators of all ages. As Hesperus, that leads the sun his way. --Fairfax. And lo ! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest. --Leigh Hunt. 5. To draw or direct by influence, whether good or bad; to prevail on; to induce; to entice; to allure; as, to lead one to espouse a righteous cause. He was driven by the necessities of the times, more than led by his own disposition, to any rigor of actions. --Eikon Basilike. Silly women, laden with sins,led away by divers lusts. --2 Tim. iii. 6 (Rev. Ver.). 6. To guide or conduct one's self in, through, or along (a certain course); hence, to proceed in the way of; to follow the path or course of; to pass; to spend. Also, to cause (one) to proceed or follow in (a certain course). That we may lead a quiet and peaceable life. --1 Tim. ii. 2. Nor thou with shadowed hint confuse A life that leads melodious days. --Tennyson. You remember . . . the life he used to lead his wife and daughter. --Dickens. 7. (Cards & Dominoes) To begin a game, round, or trick, with; as, to lead trumps; the double five was led.

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