lead (Noun) — An advantage held by a competitor in a race. ex. "he took the lead at the last turn"
lead (Noun) — Evidence pointing to a possible solution. ex. "the police are following a promising lead"
lead (Noun) — A position of leadership (especially in the phrase 'take the lead'). ex. "he takes the lead in any group" ex. "we were just waiting for someone to take the lead" ex. "they didn't follow our lead"
lead (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).
lead (Noun) — The introductory section of a story. ex. "it was an amusing lead-in to a very serious matter"
lead (Noun) — (sport) the score by which a team or individual is winning.
lead (Noun) — An actor who plays a principal role.
lead (Noun) — (baseball) the position taken by a base runner preparing to advance to the next base. ex. "he took a long lead off first"
lead (Noun) — An indication of potential opportunity. ex. "a good lead for a job"
lead (Noun) — A news story of major importance.
lead (Noun) — The timing of ignition relative to the position of the piston in an internal-combustion engine.
lead (Noun) — Restraint consisting of a rope (or light chain) used to restrain an animal.
lead (Noun) — A jumper that consists of a short piece of wire. ex. "it was a tangle of jumper cables and clip leads"
lead (Noun) — The playing of a card to start a trick in bridge. ex. "the lead was in the dummy"
lead (Noun) — A soft heavy toxic malleable metallic element; bluish white when freshly cut but tarnishes readily to dull grey.
lead (Noun) — Thin strip of metal used to separate lines of type in printing.
lead (Noun) — Mixture of graphite with clay in different degrees of hardness; the marking substance in a pencil.
lead (Verb) — Accompany somebody somewhere to show them the way. ex. "we led him to our chief"
lead (Verb) — Have as a result or residue.
lead (Verb) — Tend to or result in. ex. "This remark led to further arguments among the guests"
lead (Verb) — Travel in front of; go in advance of others. ex. "The procession was led by John"
lead (Verb) — Cause to undertake a certain action. ex. "Her greed led her to forge the checks"
lead (Verb) — Stretch out over a distance, space, time, or scope; run or extend between two points or beyond a certain point. ex. "Service leads all the way to Cranbury"
lead (Verb) — Be in charge of. ex. "Who is leading this project?"
lead (Verb) — Be ahead of others; be the first. ex. "she led her class every year"
lead (Verb) — Have the effect of making happen, or become more likely. ex. "The use of computers in the classroom led to better writing"
lead (Verb) — (music) Have the leading position, as in the performance of a composition. ex. "lead an orchestra"
lead (Verb) — Provide access; extend (in the direction of something). ex. "This door leads to the basement"
lead (Verb) — Move ahead (of others) in time or space.
lead (Verb) — Cause something to lie along a particular path. ex. "lead the wire behind the cabinet"
lead (Verb) — Preside over. ex. "John led the discussion"