How to Use lead-up in a Sentence

lead-up

1 of 2 noun
  • That came to a head in the lead-up to the election.
    — Megan Janetsky, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2026
  • Prices should be announced in the lead-up to the fall launch.
    — Brian Westover, PC Magazine, 1 June 2026
  • The base of that will be built in the lead-up to the campaign.
    — Andy Jones, New York Times, 11 June 2026
  • The lead-up to the big games were sometimes his best theatre.
    — Eric Olson, Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2026
  • The lead-up to the big games were sometimes his best theater.
    — Eric Olson, Chicago Tribune, 4 Mar. 2026
  • There were signs in the lead-up to the first round that maybe Sanders would fall in the draft.
    — Jacob Lev, CNN Money, 25 Apr. 2025
  • About 300 cc of fluid was drained in the lead-up to the game.
    — Dan Pompei, New York Times, 23 June 2026
  • What the series dramatizes is the lead-up to that fall.
    — Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 22 Nov. 2025
  • Stefany says of the lead-up to their first encounter at the airport.
    — Rachel McRady, People.com, 4 May 2025
  • Inside was a sweet note from him that served as a lead-up to his proposal.
    — Ashlyn Robinette, PEOPLE, 15 Apr. 2026
  • Yurov says the lead-up to coming to the NHL has been long.
    — Michael Russo, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Read full article The lead-up to the awards was full of drama.
    — Alexa Gagosz, BostonGlobe.com, 19 June 2023
  • What will Cohen say about the lead-up to hush money payments?
    — Aysha Bagchi, USA TODAY, 12 May 2024
  • Winners are being drawn and announced weekly in the lead-up to the event.
    — Rachel Cortez, USA Today, 4 June 2026
  • And that tension sets up a riveting two-week lead-up to the deadline.
    — Jovan Buha, The Athletic, 24 Jan. 2025
  • The lead-up to new model year production starts well before new cars hit the lots.
    — Mike Spagnola, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2023
  • The prevailing winds had changed in the lead-up to the squad announcement.
    — Jack Lang, New York Times, 19 May 2026
  • See behind the scenes of her stage-ready glam and the lead-up to her big moment and read all about it — in her words!
    — Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 28 Apr. 2023
  • And then that propulsive lead-up to the movie’s two-minute drive to intermission.
    — Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2025
  • The lead-up is longer, so visitors who come will likely spend more nights at a hotel in the area.
    — Miami Herald, 15 Jan. 2026
  • This has been another quiet lead-up to winter.
    — Jacob Wycoff, CBS News, 30 Nov. 2025
  • The new dad teased that viewers may see the lead-up to the birth of his son, Theodore in season 3.
    — Natalia Senanayake, Peoplemag, 4 Apr. 2024
  • Young had spent the lead-up to Game 2 recovering.
    — Ben Pickman, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2025
  • It’s set in the lead-up to his debut runway show in September of last year.
    — Vogue, 20 Mar. 2024
  • An video posted to Facebook shows the lead-up to the incident.
    — Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 25 Feb. 2025
  • Fans were plentiful, as were cameras to capture the action and the lead-up to the games.
    — Stephen Saito, Variety, 8 Sep. 2023
  • The lead-up to the Games have been tough for several notable athletes.
    — Candace Buckner, Washington Post, 30 June 2024
  • The same wasn’t entirely true in the immediate lead-up to the test.
    — Luke Smith, New York Times, 25 May 2026
  • The lead-up to the courtroom trial, and the trial itself, is full of nail-biting turns.
    — Matt Cabral, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Jan. 2026
  • The lead-up to their big day was captured in the first season of Don't Be Tardy.
    — Dory Jackson, Peoplemag, 8 May 2023

lead up

2 of 2 verb
  • But all is not well leading up to the big day.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 14 Mar. 2026
  • Police did not say what led up to the crash.
    — Matt Schooley, CBS News, 18 May 2026
  • Lu said part of the problem is the lack of lead up.
    — Meghan Hall, Sourcing Journal, 1 Oct. 2025
  • Even more so the last few weeks leading up to this game.
    — Mike Waters, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Aug. 2025
  • So far there's no word on what led up to the shooting.
    — Adi Guajardo, CBS News, 9 Jan. 2026
  • Thank you all for your support leading up to this.
    — Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 13 May 2026
  • Thank you all for your support leading up to this.
    — Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE, 30 Apr. 2026
  • The events that led up to the shooting are unknown.
    — Chelsea Hylton, CBS News, 18 May 2026
  • That process could begin in the days leading up to the draft.
    — Bryan Toporek, Forbes.com, 10 June 2025
  • There's no word yet on what led up to the incident.
    — Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 2 Mar. 2026
  • That's exactly what led up to that point.
    — Sydney Bucksbaum, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Feb. 2026
  • Make a few and arrange them on the lawn leading up to the door.
    — Jessica Cherner, House Beautiful, 2 Aug. 2023
  • Police haven't said so far what led up to the shooting.
    — CBS News, 5 Mar. 2026
  • Well, what could happen in those two days leading up to my shift?
    — Janelle Sherako, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Feb. 2025
  • This has been done in other cities in the weeks leading up to the show.
    — Hayleigh Colombo, The Indianapolis Star, 4 Sep. 2024
  • There was a ladder leading up the side of the silo.
    — Judith Kohler, Denver Post, 9 Sep. 2025
  • Exactly what led up to the big rig crash is unclear.
    — Cecilio Padilla, CBS News, 27 May 2026
  • Turns out there was plenty of drama leading up to the big day.
    — Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 6 Mar. 2026
  • There was no immediate word on what led up to the crash.
    — Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 27 Feb. 2026
  • Fields did say the days leading up to the game were emotional.
    — Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 30 Oct. 2025
  • What led up to the attack or who was involved is unclear.
    — Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 14 Apr. 2026
  • Planes were landing every few minutes in the lead up to the crash.
    — ABC News, 23 Apr. 2026
  • That should be a focus leading up to the trade deadline this year.
    — Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Sep. 2025
  • But in the days leading up to the race, Farley had his doubts.
    — Kelyn Soong, Washington Post, 5 Jan. 2024
  • Team rosters will be announced in the weeks leading up to the event.
    — Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 17 June 2024
  • Though the sheriff’s office did not say when the deputy opened fire nor what led up to it.
    — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 15 Sep. 2025
  • But little moments leading up to his grand slam helped set the stage.
    — Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 24 May 2025
  • You would get injured in your training leading up to it.
    — Joe Kozlowski, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Sep. 2025
  • What was the energy like leading up to that show?
    — Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 3 Apr. 2026
  • It’s made the lead up to draft day a bit complicated.
    — Myah Taylor, Dallas Morning News, 10 Apr. 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lead-up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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