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5.2
History
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lead verb [ liːd ]

• cause (a person or animal) to go with one by holding them by the hand, a halter, a rope, etc. while moving forward.
• "she emerged leading a bay horse"
Similar: guide, conduct, show, show someone the way, lead the way, usher, escort, steer, pilot, marshal, shepherd, accompany, see, take, help, assist,
Opposite: follow,
• be a route or means of access to a particular place or in a particular direction.
• "the door led to a long hallway"
Similar: open on to, give on to, connect with/to, provide a route to, communicate with,
• be in charge or command of.
• "a military delegation was led by the Chief of Staff"
Similar: be the leader of, be the head of, preside over, hold sway over, head, command, direct, govern, rule, be in charge of, be in command of, be in control of, have control of, have charge of, regulate, supervise, superintend, oversee, chair, run, mastermind, orchestrate, control, conduct, guide, be at the helm of, take the chair of, administer, organize, manage, dominate, master, reign over, domineer, be in power over, head up, run the show, call the shots,
Opposite: serve in,
• have the advantage over competitors in a race or game.
• "he followed up with a break of 105 to lead 3-0"
Similar: be ahead, be winning, be in front, be out in front, be in the lead, be first, come first,
Opposite: be losing, lose,
• have or experience (a particular way of life).
• "she's led a completely sheltered life"
Similar: experience, have, live, pass, spend, undergo,

lead noun

• the initiative in an action; an example for others to follow.
• "Britain is now taking the lead in environmental policies"
Similar: first position, head place, forefront, primacy, dominance, superiority, precedence, ascendancy, pre-eminence, supremacy, advantage, edge, upper hand, whip hand, head start,
Opposite: last position,
• a position of advantage in a contest; first place.
• "the team burst into life and took the lead"
Similar: leading, first, top, foremost, front, head, chief, principal, main, most important, premier, paramount, prime, primary, leading position, leading place, first place, advance position, van, vanguard, ahead, in front, winning, leading the field, to the fore, up front,
Opposite: last, losing,
• the chief part in a play or film.
• "she had the lead in a new film"
Similar: leading role, star/starring role, star part, title role, principal part, star, principal character, male lead, female lead, leading man, leading lady, hero, heroine, protagonist,
Opposite: bit part, extra,
• a strap or cord for restraining and guiding a dog or other domestic animal.
• "the dog is our constant walking companion and is always kept on a lead"
Similar: leash, tether, rein, cord, rope, chain, line,
• a wire that conveys electric current from a source to an appliance, or that connects two points of a circuit together.
• the distance advanced by a screw in one turn.
• an artificial watercourse leading to a mill.
Origin: Old English lǣdan, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch leiden and German leiten, also to load and lode.

lead noun

• a soft, heavy, ductile bluish-grey metal, the chemical element of atomic number 82. It has been used in roofing, plumbing, ammunition, storage batteries, radiation shields, etc., and its compounds have been used in crystal glass, as an anti-knock agent in petrol, and (formerly) in paints.
• an item or implement made of lead.
• graphite used as the part of a pencil that makes a mark.
• "scrawls done with a bit of pencil lead"
• a blank space between lines of print.
Origin: Old English lēad, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch lood ‘lead’ and German Lot ‘plummet, solder’.

lead someone astray

• cause someone to act or think foolishly or wrongly.
"many people are led astray by strong feelings"

lead someone by the nose

• control someone totally, especially by deceiving them.
"the government has been led by the nose by the timber trade so that it suppressed the report"

lead from the front

• take an active role in what one is urging and directing others to do.
"in his two appearances as captain, he led from the front"

lead someone up the garden path

• give someone misleading clues or signals.
"in a crime novel, the reader has to be led up the garden path"

lead with one's chin

• (of a boxer) leave one's chin unprotected.

lead on

• mislead or deceive someone, especially into believing that one is in love with or attracted to them.
"she flirted with him and led him on"

lead up to

• immediately precede or be the cause of something.

lead with

• start with something.
"the news on the radio led with the murder"


get the lead out

• move or work more quickly.

go down like a lead balloon

• (of something spoken or written) be poorly received.
"the idea would go down like a lead balloon"

a lead foot

• used in reference to a person's habit of driving too fast.
"I had a lead foot in my younger days, and had quite a few accidents"

lead in one's pencil

• vigour or energy, especially sexual energy in a man.
"Hot Springs water will put lead in your pencil!"



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