How to Use leading in a Sentence

leading

1 of 2 adjective
  • Their family played a leading part in the settlement of the town.
  • She's one of the leading authorities on the stock market.
  • Design plays a leading role here.
    — Jill Schildhouse, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
  • Again, women played a leading role.
    — Tim Parks, New Yorker, 11 Apr. 2026
  • Ginger the beaver made a dam good leading lady.
    — Elizabeth Hernandez, Denver Post, 16 Apr. 2026
  • Biden and leading Democrats have largely had little to say about it.
    — Terry Spencer and Will Weissert, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2023
  • Overall, prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in men.
    — Nicole Wetsman, ABC News, 12 Jan. 2023
  • But Transatlantic marks his first leading role in a major series.
    — Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Apr. 2023
  • Her new film finds her in a leading role, with Nia Long playing her onscreen mom.
    — Ingrid Vasquez, Peoplemag, 13 Jan. 2023
  • Poole has since established himself as one of the team’s leading scorers.
    — Scott Cacciola, New York Times, 19 Jan. 2023
  • Radon exposure is the second leading cause of lung cancer.
    — Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 1 May 2026
  • After earning valuable minutes off the bench as a junior, he was poised to take on a leading role.
    — Steve Reaven, Chicago Tribune, 3 Jan. 2023
  • Jones then transitioned into leading roles that showcased his range.
    — Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 13 Feb. 2026
  • For Turner, Croft is the latest in a line of leading-lady roles.
    — Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2026
  • What once was a dusty little desert ghost town sure has grown up, but the facility has remained leading edge.
    — Sportsday Staff, Dallas Morning News, 6 Mar. 2026
  • Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in Maryland.
    — Eric Wargotz, Baltimore Sun, 8 June 2026
  • The film marks Spacey’s first leading role since being cleared in the London trial.
    — Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 5 Mar. 2024
  • Mason Miller pitched the ninth for his NL-leading 21st save.
    — CBS News, 23 June 2026
  • Its leading scorer, Blake, is listed as under 6 feet.
    — Thomas Drance, New York Times, 15 June 2026
  • All that was needed for Lee to move up was the right role — in this case, her first leading role, one that almost didn’t come her way.
    — Robert Ito, New York Times, 31 May 2023
  • MacLachlan asks of his former leading lady.
    — Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Jan. 2026
  • Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women in the US.
    — Korin Miller, SELF, 14 Mar. 2024
  • The upside of this team doesn’t feel quite as high without the fifth leading point getter in franchise history.
    — Jonas Siegel, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
  • In the fight for the future of the free world, Ukrainian youth will continue to play a leading role in more ways than one.
    — Time, 16 Dec. 2022
  • The movie, which was greeted with a seven-minute standing ovation, marks Depp’s first leading role in three years.
    — Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 7 June 2023
  • The Black-Eyed Susan is the leading race for 3-year-old fillies.
    — Jt Moodee Lockman, CBS News, 21 Apr. 2026
  • The reason is that each would require leading states to subordinate their own sovereignty.
    — Henry A. Kissinger, Foreign Affairs, 13 Oct. 2023
  • Tarik Francis, Rutgers’ leading scorer, had an off night.
    — Steve Stein, Chicago Tribune, 9 Jan. 2026
  • Tariq Francis, Rutgers' leading scorer, had an off night.
    — Arkansas Online, 9 Jan. 2026
  • Here are some insights that have surfaced from my consulting engagements with leading brands.
    — Jaime Meritt, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025

leading

2 of 2 noun
  • The leading goes beyond hits and putouts.
    — Tony Baranek, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2026
  • One caveat to all the cheer leading, could come from Resale.
    — Meghan Hall, Sourcing Journal, 27 Aug. 2025
  • Rear seat space, for example, is comfortable for most adults; but, again, not class-leading.
    — New Atlas, 2 May 2026
  • Range and charging figures, however, are less class-leading.
    — Matthew MacConnell, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
  • The gentle leading of divine Love was transforming my thought.
    — Karen Neff, Christian Science Monitor, 25 July 2025
  • And this is where one of the great differences between commanding and leading begins.
    — Jose Luis Gonzalez Rodriguez, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026
  • This way of leading sends the signal that expertise carries more weight than hierarchy.
    — Michele Nealon, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
  • The second leading cause is birds flying into buildings and windows, which account for up to 1 billion deaths.
    — Joan Morris, Mercury News, 12 Aug. 2025
  • That all changed a few years back when Ryan Gosling and a few more stylish leading started rocking sweater vests, steering them back in fashion.
    — Men's Health, 10 Feb. 2023
  • Heating is the second leading cause while electrical systems/lighting equipment is the third leading.
    — Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 5 Dec. 2023
  • Among his buddies was the leading of all Hanke’s favorite theory’s icons, Friedrich Hayek.
    — Shawn Tully, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2022
  • Toffoli is the Sharks’ third leading scorer this season with 44 points in 67 games, with eight points in his last 12 games.
    — Curtis Pashelka, Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2026
  • The models hold significance in Tesla’s rise as a leading—though no longer the largest—EV maker in the world.
    — Andrea Guzmán, Austin American Statesman, 30 Jan. 2026
  • Eleven years later with Mingione leading, UK hosted again and advanced to a super regional for the first time.
    — Ryan Black, The Courier-Journal, 6 June 2023
  • And now Zubac, the Clippers’ ironman and leading rebounder, is out for at least three weeks with a Grade 2 sprain of his left ankle.
    — Janis Carr, Oc Register, 23 Dec. 2025
  • His arm isn’t the strongest, but that won’t necessarily hold the offense back, as evidenced by his leading of a 21-point second-quarter surge.
    — Shawn Windsor, Detroit Free Press, 12 Dec. 2020
  • Hagan played with Colorado all-time leading rusher Eric Bieniemy.
    — Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Dec. 2023
  • An icon of modern basketball, James holds a plethora of records including all-time NBA leading scorer.
    — Mason Leib, ABC News, 30 June 2026
  • The Porters have several key pieces back from last season but did graduate leading scorer Ismael Gomez, who poured in 34 goals.
    — Steve Millar, Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 2025
  • Not when Daniss Jenkins, in his first playoff start, was the Pistons’ second leading scorer with 19 points on 17 shots.
    — Hunter Patterson, New York Times, 14 May 2026
  • Jones is the first move Dallas has made in the backfield since the team decided to cut Elliott — the franchise’s third all-time leading rusher — after seven seasons, .
    — Tyler Dragon, USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2023
  • Marshall also didn't read much into the 3-2 victory over Senegal in a friendly leading into the tournament.
    — ABC News, 10 June 2026
  • Toffoli came into Thursday as the Sharks’ third leading scorer this season with 44 points in 67 games, with eight points in his last 12 games.
    — Curtis Pashelka, Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2026
  • British content and production is world leading but changes to viewing habits have put traditional broadcasters under unprecedented pressure.
    — K.j. Yossman, Variety, 29 Mar. 2023
  • These new ways of leading are based in the healing power and creative potential of relationships and honor those relationships with care and reciprocity.
    — Ginny Whitelaw, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
  • Behind the luxury hotels and yachts was a largely invisible work force toiling long hours under a blazing sun, providing spearfishing and diving lessons, staffing yacht parties or leading tours.
    — Emiliano Rodríguez Mega, New York Times, 18 Nov. 2023
  • The Saudi defense ministry reported Thursday that a drone crashed in the Samref oil refinery, one of the leading in the region, in the country's east.
    — Npr Staff, NPR, 19 Mar. 2026
  • Asian indexes were mostly lower, with the Hang Seng leading losses, amid concerns about China’s property sector.
    — WSJ, 18 July 2023
  • The images of the siblings arriving together at the hospital entrance—William leading, George and Charlotte holding his hands—struck a warm tone at the time.
    — Jack Royston, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Lawmakers who were for, against and undecided leading up to the vote received death threats, including bomb threats, swatting, and other intimidation incidents.
    — Katie Wiseman, IndyStar, 12 Dec. 2025

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

Last Updated: