lead1 /li:d/ noun
1 example set by sb's behaviour
ADJ. moral
VERB + LEAD give, take The government should give a lead in tackling racism. | follow
PREP. ~ in We should follow their lead in banning chemical weapons.
2 position ahead of other people
ADJ. big, clear, comfortable, commanding, good, strong | narrow | overall | early
VERB + LEAD be in, have She has a narrow lead over the other runners. | go into, move into, take They took an early lead. | build up, establish The team has now built up a commanding lead. | hold, maintain | lose | regain They regained the lead with only a few minutes left to play. | put sb/sth (back) into | extend, increase Sheffield increased their lead just before half time. | give
PREP. in/into the ~ struggling to stay in the lead | ~ over This win gives the team a two-point lead over their closest rival.
3 main part in a play, show, etc.
ADJ. romantic | female, male
VERB + LEAD play Her big break came when she was chosen to play the lead in a Broadway musical.
LEAD + NOUN role | singer | guitar, guitarist
4 clue
ADJ. good | new | possible The police are following every possible lead.
VERB + LEAD have | follow, pursue | give
PREP. ~ on leads on the murderer's identity
lead2 /li:d/ verb
1 show the way
ADV. back, on ‘Lead on!’ said Arnold.
VERB + LEAD help (to) Five people helping to lead a convoy of aid are feared dead. | allow sb to, let sb Let me lead the way.
PREP. along, down, into, out of, through, to, etc. She led them along a dark corridor to a small room.
PHRASES lead the way You lead the way and we'll follow.
2 go to a place
ADV. directly | back, down, up An old track led back through the wood. | nowhere, somewhere (often figurative) Often there are discoveries which lead nowhere.
PREP. from, onto The gardens lead directly onto a beach. | to a path leading from the village to the old church
3 cause
ADV. normally, usually | inevitably, inexorably Industrialization inevitably led to the expansion of the urban working class. | (almost) certainly, undoubtedly | not necessarily The use of soft drugs does not necessarily lead to a progression to hard drugs. | automatically Business success does not automatically lead to financial success. | naturally Discussion of a client's tax affairs will lead naturally into consideration of investment options. | directly | indirectly | eventually, ultimately
VERB + LEAD can/could (easily/only), may/might (well), must Sugar and fat can more easily lead to obesity than some other foods. The carbon tax might well lead to a doubling of prices for fossil fuels. | appear to, seem to | be expected to, be likely to, tend to Worrying about your weight is more likely to lead to comforting yourself with a piece of chocolate. | be bound to
PREP. to the events that led eventually to war
lead3 /led/ noun
ADJ. molten
VERB + LEAD be made of
LEAD + NOUN pipe, piping | paint | shot | poisoning | content, levels | industry, mine, miner, mining
You can also check other dicts: lead (English, 中文解释 ), wordnet sense, Collins Definition