leading

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English ledinge, ledynge, ledand, ledande, ledende, from Old English lǣdende, from Proto-Germanic *laidijandz, present participle of Proto-Germanic *laidijaną (“to lead”), equivalent to lead +‎ -ing. Cognate with German Leitung (“lin, conduit, cable”). More at lead.

Pronunciation
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈliːdɪŋ/
  • (General American) IPA(key): /ˈlidɪŋ/
  • Audio (GA)(file)
  • Rhymes: -iːdɪŋ
  • Hyphenation: lead‧ing

Verb

leading

  1. present participle of lead
    • 1898, Winston Churchill, chapter 2, in The Celebrity:
      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

leading (not comparable)

  1. Providing guidance or direction.
    Avoid leading questions if you really want the truth.
  2. Ranking first.
    He is a leading supplier of plumbing supplies in the county.
  3. Occurring in advance; preceding.
    Antonyms: following, lagging, trailing
    The stock market can be a leading economic indicator.
Coordinate terms

Hyponyms
  • industry-leading

Derived terms
Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English leding, ledyng, ledinge, ledunge, equivalent to lead +‎ -ing.

Pronunciation

Noun

leading (plural leadings)

  1. An act by which one is led or guided.
    • 1792, William Carey, An Enquiry into the Obligations of Christians to Use Means for the‎:
      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.
    • 1892, Walt Whitman, “A Song for Occupations”, in Leaves of Grass […], Philadelphia, Pa.: David McKay, publisher, […], OCLC 1514723, stanza 5, page 175:
      I do not affirm that what you see beyond is futile, I do not advise you to stop, / I do not say leadings you thought great are not great, / But I say that none lead to greater than these lead to.
    • 1904, Edward Dowden, Robert Browning‎:
      In his poetic method each writer followed the leadings of his own genius, without reference to common rules and standards; the individualism of the Revolutionary epoch asserted itself to the full.

Etymology 3

From Middle English leedynge, equivalent to lead (chemical element) +‎ -ing.

Pronunciation

Noun

leading (uncountable)

  1. (typography) Vertical space added between lines; line spacing.
Translations

Further reading

Anagrams
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