Adjacent Words

Lead definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

LEAD, n. led.
1. A metal of a dull white color, with a cast of blue. It is the least elastic and sonorous of all the metals, and at the same time it is soft and easily fusible. It is found native in small masses, but generally mineralized by sulphur, and sometimes by other substances. Lead fused in a strong heat, throws off vapors which are unwholesome.
2. A plummet or mass of lead, used in sounding at sea.
3. Leads, a flat roof covered with lead.
White lead, the oxyd of lead, ground with one third part of chalk.
LEAD, v.t. led. To cover with lead; to fit with lead.
LEAD, v.t. pret. and pp. led.
1. To guide by the hand; as, to lead a child. It often includes the sense of drawing as well as of directing.
2. To guide or conduct by showing the way; to direct; as, the Israelites were led by a pillar of a cloud by day, and by a pillar of fire by night.
3. To conduct to any place.
He leadeth me beside the still waters. Psalms 23.
4. To conduct, as a chief or commander, implying authority; to direct and govern; as, a general leads his troops to battle and to victory.
Christ took not on him flesh and blood, that he might conquer and rule nations, lead armies.
5. To precede; to introduce by going first.
As Hesperus that leads the sun his way.
6. To guide; to show the method of attaining an object. Self-examination may lead us to a knowledge of ourselves.
7. To draw; to entice; to allure. The love of pleasure leads men into vices which degrade and impoverish them.
8. To induce; to prevail on; to influence.
He was driven by the necessities of the times more than led by his own disposition to any rigor of actions.
9. To pass; to spend, that is, to draw out; as, to lead a life of gayety, or a solitary life.
That we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. 1 Timothy 2.
To lead astray, to guide in a wrong way or into error; to seduce from truth or rectitude.
To lead captive, to carry into captivity.
LEAD, v.i.
1. To go before and show the way.
I will lead on softly. Genesis 33.
2. To conduct, as a chief or commander. Let the troops follow, where their general leads.
3. To draw; to have a tendency to. Gaming leads to other vices.
4. To exercise dominion.
To lead off or out, to go first; to begin.
LEAD, n. Precedence; a going before; guidance. Let the general take the lead. [A colloquial word in reputable use.]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: an advantage held by a competitor in a race; "he took the lead at the last turn"
2: a soft heavy toxic malleable metallic element; bluish white when freshly cut but tarnishes readily to dull grey; "the children were playing with lead soldiers" [syn: lead, Pb, atomic number 82]
3: evidence pointing to a possible solution; "the police are following a promising lead"; "the trail led straight to the perpetrator" [syn: lead, track, trail]
4: 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"
5: the angle between the direction a gun is aimed and the position of a moving target (correcting for the flight time of the missile)
6: the introductory section of a story; "it was an amusing lead- in to a very serious matter" [syn: lead, lead-in, lede]
7: (sports) the score by which a team or individual is winning [ant: deficit]
8: an actor who plays a principal role [syn: star, principal, lead]
9: (baseball) the position taken by a base runner preparing to advance to the next base; "he took a long lead off first"
10: an indication of potential opportunity; "he got a tip on the stock market"; "a good lead for a job" [syn: tip, lead, steer, confidential information, wind, hint]
11: a news story of major importance [syn: lead, lead story]
12: the timing of ignition relative to the position of the piston in an internal-combustion engine [syn: spark advance, lead]
13: restraint consisting of a rope (or light chain) used to restrain an animal [syn: leash, tether, lead]
14: thin strip of metal used to separate lines of type in printing [syn: lead, leading]
15: mixture of graphite with clay in different degrees of hardness; the marking substance in a pencil [syn: lead, pencil lead]
16: a jumper that consists of a short piece of wire; "it was a tangle of jumper cables and clip leads" [syn: jumper cable, jumper lead, lead, booster cable]
17: the playing of a card to start a trick in bridge; "the lead was in the dummy" v
1: take somebody somewhere; "We lead him to our chief"; "can you take me to the main entrance?"; "He conducted us to the palace" [syn: lead, take, direct, conduct, guide]
2: have as a result or residue; "The water left a mark on the silk dress"; "Her blood left a stain on the napkin" [syn: leave, result, lead]
3: tend to or result in; "This remark lead to further arguments among the guests"
4: travel in front of; go in advance of others; "The procession was headed by John" [syn: lead, head]
5: cause to undertake a certain action; "Her greed led her to forge the checks"
6: stretch out over a distance, space, time, or scope; run or extend between two points or beyond a certain point; "Service runs all the way to Cranbury"; "His knowledge doesn't go very far"; "My memory extends back to my fourth year of life"; "The facts extend beyond a consideration of her personal assets" [syn: run, go, pass, lead, extend]
7: be in charge of; "Who is heading this project?" [syn: head, lead]
8: be ahead of others; be the first; "she topped her class every year" [syn: lead, top]
9: be conducive to; "The use of computers in the classroom lead to better writing" [syn: contribute, lead, conduce]
10: lead, as in the performance of a composition; "conduct an orchestra; Barenboim conducted the Chicago symphony for years" [syn: conduct, lead, direct]
11: lead, extend, or afford access; "This door goes to the basement"; "The road runs South" [syn: go, lead]
12: move ahead (of others) in time or space [syn: precede, lead] [ant: follow]
13: cause something to pass or lead somewhere; "Run the wire behind the cabinet" [syn: run, lead]
14: preside over; "John moderated the discussion" [syn: moderate, chair, lead]

Merriam Webster's

I. verb (led; leading) Etymology: Middle English leden, from Old English l?dan; akin to Old High German leiten to lead, Old English l?than to go Date: before 12th century transitive verb 1. a. to guide on a way especially by going in advance b. to direct on a course or in a direction c. to serve as a channel for <a pipe leads water to the house> 2. to go through ; live <lead a quiet life> 3. a. (1) to direct the operations, activity, or performance of <lead an orchestra> (2) to have charge of <lead a campaign> (3) to suggest to (a witness) the answer desired by asking leading questions b. (1) to go at the head of <lead a parade> (2) to be first in or among <lead the league> (3) to have a margin over <led his opponent> 4. to bring to some conclusion or condition <led to believe otherwise> 5. to begin play with <lead trumps> 6. a. to aim in front of (a moving object) <lead a duck> b. to pass a ball or puck just in front of (a moving teammate) intransitive verb 1. a. to guide someone or something along a way b. to lie, run, or open in a specified place or direction <path leads uphill> c. to guide a dance partner through the steps of a dance 2. a. to be first b. (1) begin, open (2) to play the first card of a trick, round, or game 3. to tend toward or have a result <study leading to a degree> 4. to direct the first of a series of blows at an opponent in boxing Synonyms: see guide II. noun Date: 15th century 1. a. (1) leadership (2) example, precedent b. (1) position at the front ; vanguard (2) initiative (3) the act or privilege of leading in cards; also the card or suit led c. a margin or measure of advantage or superiority or position in advance 2. one that leads: as a. lode 2 b. a channel of water especially through a field of ice c. indication, clue d. a principal role in a dramatic production; also one who plays such a role e. leash 1 f. (1) an introductory section of a news story (2) a news story of chief importance 3. an insulated electrical conductor connected to an electrical device 4. the course of a rope from end to end 5. the amount of axial advance of a point accompanying a complete turn of a thread (as of a screw or worm) 6. a position taken by a base runner off a base toward the next 7. the first punch of a series or an exchange of punches in boxing • leadless adjective III. adjective Date: 1828 acting or serving as a lead or leader <a lead article> IV. noun Usage: often attributive Etymology: Middle English leed, from Old English l?ad; akin to Middle High German l?t lead Date: before 12th century 1. a bluish-white soft malleable ductile plastic but inelastic heavy metallic element found mostly in combination and used especially in pipes, cable sheaths, batteries, solder, and shields against radioactivity — see element table 2. a. a plummet for sounding at sea b. plural, British a usually flat lead roof c. plural lead framing for panes in windows d. a thin strip of metal used to separate lines of type in printing 3. a. a thin stick of marking substance (as graphite) in or for a pencil b. white lead 4. bullets, projectiles 5. tetraethyl lead • leadless adjective V. transitive verb Date: 14th century 1. to cover, line, or weight with lead 2. to fix (window glass) in position with leads 3. to put space between the lines of (typeset matter) 4. to treat or mix with lead or a lead compound <leaded gasoline>

Dictionary of the Elements

lead
Symbol: Pb
Atomic number: 82
Atomic weight: 207.19
Heavy dull grey ductile metallic element, belongs to group 14. Used in building construction, lead-place accumulators, bullets and shot, and is part of solder, pewter, bearing metals, type metals and fusible alloys.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. v. & n. --v. (past and past part. led) 1 tr. cause to go with one, esp. by guiding or showing the way or by going in front and taking a person's hand or an animal's halter etc. 2 tr. a direct the actions or opinions of. b (often foll. by to, or to + infin.) guide by persuasion or example or argument (what led you to that conclusion?; was led to think you may be right). 3 tr. (also absol.) provide access to; bring to a certain position or destination (this door leads you into a small room; the road leads to Lincoln; the path leads uphill). 4 tr. pass or go through (a life etc. of a specified kind) (led a miserable existence). 5 tr. a have the first place in (lead the dance; leads the world in sugar production). b (absol.) go first; be ahead in a race or game. c (absol.) be pre-eminent in some field. 6 tr. be in charge of (leads a team of researchers). 7 tr. a direct by example. b set (a fashion). c be the principal player of (a group of musicians). 8 tr. (also absol.) begin a round of play at cards by playing (a card) or a card of (a particular suit). 9 intr. (foll. by to) have as an end or outcome; result in (what does all this lead to?). 10 intr. (foll. by with) Boxing make an attack (with a particular blow). 11 a intr. (foll. by with) (of a newspaper) use a particular item as the main story (led with the Stock Market crash). b tr. (of a story) be the main feature of (a newspaper or part of it) (the royal wedding will lead the front page). 12 tr. (foll. by through) make (a liquid, strip of material, etc.) pass through a pulley, channel, etc. --n. 1 guidance given by going in front; example. 2 a a leading place; the leadership (is in the lead; take the lead). b the amount by which a competitor is ahead of the others (a lead of ten yards). 3 a clue, esp. an early indication of the resolution of a problem (is the first real lead in the case). 4 a strap or cord for leading a dog etc. 5 a conductor (usu. a wire) conveying electric current from a source to an appliance. 6 a the chief part in a play etc. b the person playing this. 7 (in full lead story) the item of news given the greatest prominence in a newspaper or magazine. 8 a the act or right of playing first in a game or round of cards. b the card led. 9 the distance advanced by a screw in one turn. 10 a an artificial watercourse, esp. one leading to a mill. b a channel of water in an ice-field. Phrases and idioms: lead astray see ASTRAY. lead by the nose cajole (a person) into compliance. lead a person a dance see DANCE. lead-in 1 an introduction, opening, etc. 2 a wire leading in from outside, esp. from an aerial to a receiver or transmitter. lead off 1 begin; make a start. 2 colloq. lose one's temper. lead-off n. an action beginning a process. lead on 1 entice into going further than was intended. 2 mislead or deceive. lead time the time between the initiation and completion of a production process. lead up the garden path colloq. mislead. lead the way see WAY. Derivatives: leadable adj. Etymology: OE lædan f. Gmc 2. n. & v. --n. 1 Chem. a heavy bluish-grey soft ductile metallic element occurring naturally in galena and used in building and the manufacture of alloys. Usage: Symb.: Pb. 2 a graphite. b a thin length of this for use in a pencil. 3 a lump of lead used in sounding water. 4 (in pl.) Brit. a strips of lead covering a roof. b a piece of lead-covered roof. 5 (in pl.) Brit. lead frames holding the glass of a lattice or stained-glass window. 6 Printing a blank space between lines of print (orig. with ref. to the metal strip used to give this space). 7 (attrib.) made of lead. --v.tr. 1 cover, weight, or frame (a roof or window panes) with lead. 2 Printing separate lines of (printed matter) with leads. 3 add a lead compound to (petrol etc.). Phrases and idioms: lead acetate a white crystalline compound of lead that dissolves in water to form a sweet-tasting solution. lead-free (of petrol) without added tetraethyl lead. lead pencil a pencil of graphite enclosed in wood. lead-poisoning acute or chronic poisoning by absorption of lead into the body. lead shot = SHOT(1) 3b. lead tetraethyl = TETRAETHYL LEAD. lead wool a fibrous form of lead, used for jointing water pipes. Derivatives: leadless adj. Etymology: OE lead f. WG

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Lead 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.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Lead 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.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Lead 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. To lead astray, to guide in a wrong way, or into error; to seduce from truth or rectitude. To lead captive, to carry or bring into captivity. To lead the way, to show the way by going in front; to act as guide. --Goldsmith.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Lead Lead, n. 1. The act of leading or conducting; guidance; direction; as, to take the lead; to be under the lead of another. At the time I speak of, and having a momentary lead, . . . I am sure I did my country important service. --Burke. 2. precedence; advance position; also, the measure of precedence; as, the white horse had the lead; a lead of a boat's length, or of half a second. 3. (Cards & Dominoes) The act or right of playing first in a game or round; the card suit, or piece, so played; as, your partner has the lead. 4. An open way in an ice field. --Kane. 5. (Mining) A lode. 6. (Naut.) The course of a rope from end to end. 7. (Steam Engine) The width of port opening which is uncovered by the valve, for the admission or release of steam, at the instant when the piston is at end of its stroke. Note: When used alone it means outside lead, or lead for the admission of steam. Inside lead refers to the release or exhaust. 8. (Civil Engineering) the distance of haul, as from a cutting to an embankment. 9. (Horology) The action of a tooth, as a tooth of a wheel, in impelling another tooth or a pallet. --Saunier. Lead angle (Steam Engine), the angle which the crank maker with the line of centers, in approaching it, at the instant when the valve opens to admit steam. Lead screw (Mach.), the main longitudinal screw of a lathe, which gives the feed motion to the carriage.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Lead Lead, v. i. 1. To guide or conduct, as by accompanying, going before, showing, influencing, directing with authority, etc.; to have precedence or pre["e]minence; to be first or chief; -- used in most of the senses of lead, v. t. 2. To tend or reach in a certain direction, or to a certain place; as, the path leads to the mill; gambling leads to other vices. The mountain foot that leads towards Mantua. --Shak. To lead off or out, to go first; to begin.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Lead Lead, n. 1. (Music.) (a) The announcement by one voice part of a theme to be repeated by the other parts. (b) A mark or a short passage in one voice part, as of a canon, serving as a cue for the entrance of others. 2. In an internal-combustion engine, the distance, measured in actual length of piston stroke or the corresponding angular displacement of the crank, of the piston from the end of the compression stroke when ignition takes place; -- called in full lead of the ignition. When ignition takes place during the working stroke the corresponding distance from the commencement of the stroke is called negative lead. 3. (Mach.) The excess above a right angle in the angle between two consecutive cranks, as of a compound engine, on the same shaft. 4. (Mach.) In spiral screw threads, worm wheels, or the like, the amount of advance of any point in the spiral for a complete turn. 5. (Elec.) (a) A conductor conveying electricity, as from a dynamo. (b) The angle between the line joining the brushes of a continuous-current dynamo and the diameter symmetrical between the poles. (c) The advance of the current phase in an alternating circuit beyond that of the electromotive force producing it. 6. (Theat.) A r[^o]le for a leading man or leading woman; also, one who plays such a r[^o]le.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

I. BEING AHEAD OR TAKING SOMEONE SOMEWHERE (leads, leading, led) Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. Please look at category 21 to see if the expression you are looking for is shown under another headword. 1. If you lead a group of people, you walk or ride in front of them. John Major and the Duke of Edinburgh led the mourners... He walks with a stick but still leads his soldiers into battle... Tom was leading, a rifle slung over his back. VERB: V n, V n prep/adv, V 2. If you lead someone to a particular place or thing, you take them there. He took Dickon by the hand to lead him into the house... Leading the horse, Evandar walked to the door. VERB: V n prep/adv, V n 3. If a road, gate, or door leads somewhere, you can get there by following the road or going through the gate or door. ...the doors that led to the yard. ...a short roadway leading to the car park... VERB: V prep/adv, V prep/adv 4. If you are leading at a particular point in a race or competition, you are winning at that point. He's leading in the presidential race... So far Fischer leads by five wins to two... Aston Villa last led the League in March 1990. VERB: V, V by amount, V n 5. If you have the lead or are in the lead in a race or competition, you are winning. England took the lead after 31 minutes with a goal by Peter Nail... Labour are still in the lead in the opinion polls. N-SING: the N, oft in/into the N 6. Someone's lead over a competitor at a particular point in a race or competition is the distance, amount of time, or number of points by which they are ahead of them. ...a commanding lead for the opposition is clearly emerging throughout the country... His goal gave Forest a two-goal lead against Southampton... Sainz now has a lead of 28 points. N-SING: with supp, oft N over n 7. If one company or country leads others in a particular activity such as scientific research or business, it is more successful or advanced than they are in that activity. When it comes to pop music we not only lead Europe, we lead the world. ...foodstores such as Marks & Spencer, which led the market in microwaveable meals. VERB: V n, V n in n 8. If you lead a group of people, an organization, or an activity, you are in control or in charge of the people or the activity. Mr Mendes was leading a campaign to save Brazil's rainforest from exploitation. VERB: V n 9. If you give a lead, you do something new or develop new ideas or methods that other people consider to be a good example or model to follow. The American and Japanese navies took the lead in the development of naval aviation... Over the next 150 years, many others followed his lead. N-COUNT: usu supp N 10. You can use lead when you are saying what kind of life someone has. For example, if you lead a busy life, your life is busy. She led a normal, happy life with her sister and brother... VERB: V n 11. If something leads to a situation or event, usually an unpleasant one, it begins a process which causes that situation or event to happen. Ethnic tensions among the republics could lead to civil war... He warned yesterday that a pay rise for teachers would lead to job cuts. VERB: V to n, V to n 12. If something leads you to do something, it influences or affects you in such a way that you do it. His abhorrence of racism led him to write The Algiers Motel Incident... What was it ultimately that led you to leave Sarajevo for Zagreb? VERB: V n to-inf, V n to-inf 13. If you say that someone or something led you to think something, you mean that they caused you to think it, although it was not true or did not happen. Mother had led me to believe the new baby was a kind of present for me... It was not as straightforward as we were led to believe. VERB: V n to-inf, V n to-inf 14. If you lead a conversation or discussion, you control the way that it develops so that you can introduce a particular subject. After a while I led the conversation around to her job... He planned to lead the conversation and keep Matt from changing the subject. VERB: V n adv/prep, V n 15. You can say that one point or topic in a discussion or piece of writing leads you to another in order to introduce a new point or topic that is linked with the previous one. Well, I think that leads me to the real point. = bring VERB: V n to n 16. A lead is a piece of information or an idea which may help people to discover the facts in a situation where many facts are not known, for example in the investigation of a crime or in a scientific experiment. The inquiry team is also following up possible leads after receiving 400 calls from the public. N-COUNT 17. The lead in a play, film, or show is the most important part in it. The person who plays this part can also be called the lead. Nina Ananiashvili and Alexei Fadeyechev from the Bolshoi Ballet dance the leads... The leads are Jack Hawkins and Glynis Johns. N-COUNT 18. A dog's lead is a long, thin chain or piece of leather which you attach to the dog's collar so that you can control the dog. (mainly BRIT; in AM, use leash) An older man came out with a little dog on a lead. N-COUNT 19. A lead in a piece of equipment is a piece of wire covered in plastic which supplies electricity to the equipment or carries it from one part of the equipment to another. N-COUNT 20. The lead story or lead in a newspaper or on the television or radio news is the most important story. The Turkish situation makes the lead in tomorrow's Guardian... Cossiga's reaction is the lead story in the Italian press. N-SING: oft N n 21. to lead someone astray: see astray one thing led to another: see thing to lead the way: see way see also leading, -led II. SUBSTANCES (leads) 1. Lead is a soft, grey, heavy metal. ...drinking water supplied by old-fashioned lead pipes. N-UNCOUNT 2. The lead in a pencil is the centre part of it which makes a mark on paper. N-COUNT

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

led (`ophereth): Lead was one of the first metals to be used in the free state, probably because it was so easily obtained from its ores. Lead was found in ancient times in Egypt and the Sinaitic peninsula. There is no lead found in Palestine proper, but in Northern Syria and Asia Minor it occurs in considerable quantities, usually associated with silver. These sources no doubt furnished an important supply in Bible times. It was also brought by the Phoenicians from Spain (Tarshish) (Eze 27:12) and the British Isles.

Lead was used, as it still is, all along the Mediterranean shores for sinkers. Pieces of Egyptian fishnets probably dating from 1200 BC are now preserved in the British Museum, with their lead sinkers still attached. Since lead was the heaviest metal known to the ancients, gold excepted, it was generally used for fish-lines and sounding lines (compare Ac 27:28), especially in the dense waters of the Mediterranean. Moses mentioned the sinking qualities of lead in the sea in his simile of the sinking of Pharaoh's hosts "as lead in the mighty waters" (Ex 15:10).

Lead was used by the ancients for binding stones together. In most of the ancient ruins of Syria the Arabs have dug holes at the seams between stones in walls and columns in order to remove the iron, bronze, or lead thus used. In the museum of the Syrian Protestant College, Beirut, there are several specimens of cast-lead sarcophagi dating from the time of Christ.

In Job 19:23,14, lead is mentioned as used in the engraving of permanent records. Two inferences might he drawn from this passage: either that the letters were cut with a chisel (pen) and then the cutting was filled with lead, or that sheets of lead were used as tablets on which to grave the record with an iron tool. Lead is frequently referred to along with iron, brass, silver and tin (Nu 31:22; Eze 22:18,20; 27:12). The use of lead for plumblines is implied in Am 7:7,8; Zec 4:10; as a weight in Zec 5:7,8. That Old Testament writers understood the use of lead for purifying gold is shown by Jer 6:29 and Eze 22:18-22 (compare Mal 3:2,3).

See METALS; REFINER.

James A. Patch

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. 1. Guide (by the hand or something connected with the hand). 2. Conduct, direct, escort, go before as guide. 3. Head, be at the head of, precede. 4. Surpass, excel, have the lead of, take the lead of, outstrip, be in advance of. 5. Allure, entice, induce, persuade, draw, prevail on. 6. Pass, spend. II. v. n. 1. Show the way (by going before). 2. Be the commander (as of troops). 3. Conduce, contribute, tend, serve. III. n. 1. Guidance, direction, leadership. 2. Precedence.

Moby Thesaurus

T square, accent, accent mark, accomplishment, actor, administer, administrate, advance, advantage, affect, aim, aluminum, americium, antagonist, antecede, antecedence, antecedency, anteposition, anteriority, antetype, antihero, antitype, approach, archetype, arrow, ascendancy, attend, aureate, authority, ballast, bamboozle, bar, barium, be in front, be master, be responsible for, be the bellwether, be the front-runner, beacon, bear, begin, beguile, bell cow, bellwether, bend, bend to, beryllium, bias, bidet, biotype, bismuth, bit, bit part, blaze, blaze the trail, bob, brass, brassy, brazen, break ground, break the ice, break the trail, bring, bring about, bring on, bring up, broach, bronze, bronzy, cable, cadmium, calcium, call forth, call the signals, cancel, captain, carriage horse, carry, carry on, cart horse, cast, catchword, cause, cavalry horse, cerium, cesium, chain, chair, chaperon, character, chief, chrome, chromium, classic example, clue, cobalt, color, come before, come first, command, commence, compass needle, conduce, conduct, contribute, contribute to, contrive, control, convince, convoy, copper, coppery, cord, create, criterion, cue, cue word, cupreous, cuprous, custos, danseur noble, dean, deanship, deceive, decide, decoy, descend, determine, direct, direction, direction post, discipline, dispose, distance, diva, dominion, dot, doyen, draft horse, draw down, draw on, dray horse, driving horse, drop, dysprosium, edge, effect, electronics king, elicit, engage, engender, engineer, enlist, entice, epitome, erbium, escort, esquire, europium, evidence, evoke, example, exceed, excel, excellence, exemplar, experience, expression mark, fat part, favor, feature attraction, feeder, fermata, ferrous, ferruginous, fill horse, filler, finger post, first, first tragedian, fist, flex, fool, foregoing, foremost, forerun, forge ahead, front, front position, fugleman, fugler, gadolinium, gallium, genotype, germanium, get, get ahead of, get before, get going, get moving, get to do, get under way, gigster, gilt, go, go ahead of, go before, go in advance, gold, gold-filled, gold-plated, golden, govern, governance, government, gravitate, greatness, guard, guidance, guide, guideboard, guidepost, hack, hackney, hand, handle, handling, have a tendency, have priority, have the start, head, head the line, head the table, head up, heading, headliner, heavy, heavy lead, herald, hero, heroine, hint, hold, hold a heading, holmium, honcho, hoodwink, hot lead, hour hand, hunter, husbandry, imitatee, inaugurate, incline, incomparability, index, index finger, indium, induce, influence, ingenue, inimitability, initiate, inspire, instigate, interest in, intimation, introduce, inveigle, invent, iridium, iron, ironlike, jeune premier, jument, key, key signature, key word, kick off, king, lanthanum, lap, le pas, lead astray, lead off, lead on, lead role, lead the dance, lead the way, leaden, leader, leadership, leading, leading lady, leading light, leading man, leading woman, lean, leash, ligature, light the way, lines, lithium, live, look to, lubber line, luminary, lure, lutetium, magnesia, magnesium, main, majority, make the rules, manage, management, managery, managing, maneuver, manganese, manipulate, manipulation, margin, mark, marshal, master spirit, mastermind, measure, mercurial, mercurous, mercury, metronomic mark, milepost, minute hand, mirror, misdirect, misguide, mislead, model, molybdenum, motivate, mount, move, needle, neodymium, nickel, nickelic, nickeline, niobium, notation, obtain, officer, one-upmanship, order, ordering, original, originate, osmium, outdo, outrank, outrun, outstrip, pace, pack horse, palfrey, palladium, paradigm, paramount, part, pass, pattern, pause, person, personage, persuade, pewter, pewtery, phosphorus, piece, pilot, pilotage, pioneer, platinum, play first fiddle, plow horse, plumb, plumb bob, plumb line, plumb rule, plummet, plunge, point, point to, pointer, pole horse, polo pony, polonium, possibility, post-horse, potassium, potential, praseodymium, precede, precedence, precedency, precedent, preceding, precession, precipitate, precursor, predispose, predominance, predomination, preeminence, preface, preference, prefixation, prelude, premier, preponderance, prepotence, prepotency, prerogative, presa, prescribe, present, preside over, prestige, prevail, prima ballerina, prima donna, primacy, principal, priority, privilege, procure, produce, promethium, prompt, prospect, protactinium, protagonist, prothesis, prototype, provoke, pull the strings, quarterback, quicksilver, radium, rank, rank first, rank out, rate, recedence, redound to, regulate, regulation, remount, representative, restraint, rhenium, rider, riding horse, right-of-way, road horse, roadster, role, rouncy, route, rubidium, rule, run, running, ruthenium, saddle horse, saddler, samarium, sandbag, scandium, scent, seduce, see, segno, seniority, serve, set, set square, set the pace, set toward, settle, shaft horse, shepherd, show, show a tendency, show the way, side, sign, signature, signboard, signpost, silver, silver-plated, silvery, singer, sink, sinker, skill, skipper, slur, sodium, soften up, soubrette, spearhead, spend, spoor, square, squire, stalking-horse, stand first, stand in front, stand over, standard, star, steel, steely, steer, steerage, steering, straight part, strontium, subside, success, suggestion, sumpter, sumpter horse, superinduce, superintend, superiority, superstar, supervise, supporting character, supporting role, supremacy, surpass, sway, swell, symbol, take command, take out, take precedence, take the initiative, take the lead, take the plunge, tantalum, technetium, telltale, tempo mark, tempt, tend, tend to go, terbium, tether, thallium, the conn, the helm, the lead, the wheel, thill horse, thiller, thulium, tie, time signature, tin, tinge, tinny, tip, tip-off, titanium, title role, tone, top dog, top priority, trace, transcendence, transcendency, trend, try square, tungsten, turn, type, type species, type specimen, uranium, urgency, urtext, usher, usher in, van, vanadium, vanguard, verge, vestige, villain, vinculum, virtuosity, wait on, walk-on, walking part, warp, wear down, weigh down, weigh with, weight, weight down, wheeler, wheelhorse, whiff, while away, wield authority, wield the baton, wire, wolfram, work, work toward, workhorse, ytterbium, yttrium, zinc, zirconium