the playing of a card to start a trick in bridge; "the lead was in the dummy";
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";
a jumper that consists of a short piece of wire; "it was a tangle of jumper cables and clip leads";
mixture of graphite with clay in different degrees of hardness; the marking substance in a pencil;
thin strip of metal used to separate lines of type in printing;
restraint consisting of a rope (or light chain) used to restrain an animal;
the timing of ignition relative to the position of the piston in an internal-combustion engine;
an advantage held by a competitor in a race; "he took the lead at the last turn";
evidence pointing to a possible solution; "the police are following a promising lead"; "the trail led straight to the perpetrator";
the introductory section of a story; "it was an amusing lead-in to a very serious matter";
a news story of major importance;
an indication of potential opportunity; "he got a tip on the stock market"; "a good lead for a job";
(baseball) the position taken by a base runner preparing to advance to the next base; "he took a long lead off first";
an actor who plays a principal role;
the angle between the direction a gun is aimed and the position of a moving target (correcting for the flight time of the missile);
a soft heavy toxic malleable metallic element; bluish white when freshly cut but tarnishes readily to dull gray; "the children were playing with lead soldiers";
cause to undertake a certain action; "Her greed led her to forge the checks";
preside over; "John moderated the discussion";
lead, as in the performance of a composition; "conduct an orchestra; Bairenboim conducted the Chicago symphony for years";
move ahead (of others) in time or space;
travel in front of; go in advance of others; "The procession was headed by John";
take somebody somewhere; "We lead him to our chief"; "can you take me to the main entrance?"; "He conducted us to the palace";
be in charge of; "Who is heading this project?";
be conducive to; "The use of computers in the classroom lead to better writing";
result in; "The water left a mark on the silk dress"; "Her blood left a stain on the napkin";
tend to or result in; "This remark lead to further arguments among the guests";
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 ex;
lead, extend, or afford access; "This door goes to the basement"; "The road runs South";
cause something to pass or lead somewhere; "Run the wire behind the cabinet";
be ahead of others; be the first; "she topped her class every year";
