leading
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Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
leading¹
- /ˈliːdɪŋ/ UK
- /ˈlidɪŋ/ US
Rhymes with -iːdɪŋ
Where it comes from
From Middle English ledinge, ledynge, ledand, ledande, ledende, from Old English lǣdende, from Proto-West Germanic *laidijandī, from Proto-Germanic *laidijandz, present participle of Proto-Germanic *laidijaną (“to lead”), equivalent to lead + -ing. Compare West Frisian liedend, Dutch leidend, German leitend, Swedish ledande, Icelandic leiðandi.
verb
- present participle and gerund of lead I had occasion […] to make a somewhat long business trip to Chicago, and on my return […] I found Farrar awaiting me in the railway station. He smiled his wonted fraction by way of greeting, […], and finally leading me to his buggy, turned and drove out of town.
adjective
-
Providing guidance or direction.
Avoid leading questions if you really want the truth.
Similar: polar
- Ranking first. He is a leading supplier of plumbing supplies in the county.
- Occurring in advance; preceding. The stock market can be a leading economic indicator.
leading²
- /ˈliːdɪŋ/ UK
- /ˈlidɪŋ/ US
Rhymes with -iːdɪŋ
Where it comes from
From Middle English leding, ledyng, ledinge, ledunge, equivalent to lead + -ing. Cognate with Dutch leiding (“conduit, leading, guidance, leadership”), German Leitung (“line, conduit, cable”).
noun leadings
- An act by which one is led or guided. It has been said that we ought not to force our way, but to wait for the openings, and leadings of Providence; but it might with equal propriety be answered in this case, neither ought we to neglect embracing those openings in providence which daily present themselves to us.
- Command of an army or military unit. Art thou but Captaine of a thouſand horſe, That by Characters grauen in thy browes, And by thy martiall face and ſtout aſpect, Deſeru’ſt to haue the leading of an hoſte?
leading³
- /ˈlɛdɪŋ/ US, UK
Rhymes with -ɛdɪŋ
Where it comes from
From Middle English leedynge, equivalent to lead (chemical element) + -ing; so named because in metal typesetting (letterpress and hot metal typesetting), pieces of lead (slugs, strips, blocks, etc) were often the mechanical means of producing the gap.
noun
- Vertical space added between lines; line spacing.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: guiding, leadership, directive, directional, ahead, prima, purposeful, starring, preeminent, superior, up, major, stellar, star, directing, greatest
Translations
Every language
adj providing guidance
| Español | principal |
|---|---|
| हिन्दी | नेतृत्व netŕtva |
| Deutsch | führend |
| Italiano | principale |
| Русский | веду́щий vedúščij, руководя́щий rukovodjáščij, наводя́щий navodjáščij |
adj ranking first
| हिन्दी | अग्रसर agrasar |
|---|---|
| Italiano | principale, primo, maggiore |
| Ελληνικά | κορυφαίος koryfaíos |
| Русский | веду́щий vedúščij |
adj preceding
| Deutsch | vorangehend, vorausgehend, führend |
|---|---|
| Italiano | precedente |
noun Vertical space added between lines
| Español | entrelínea |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 행간 haenggan |
| 日本語 | インテル interu |
| 中文 | 行距 hángjù |
| Português | entrelinha, espaçamento entre linhas |
| Français | interligne |
| Deutsch | Zeilenabstand, Interlinea, Zeilendurchschuss, Durchschuss |
| Italiano | interlinea |
| Ελληνικά | διάστιχο diásticho |
| Русский | интерлиньяж interlinʹjaž |
Talk about this word "leading." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/leading. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. leading. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/leading "leading." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/leading.Cite this
@misc{leading_2026,
title = {leading},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/leading},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
