leader

[lee-der] /ˈli dər/
noun
1.
a person or thing that leads.
2.
a guiding or directing head, as of an army, movement, or political group.
3.
Music.
  1. a conductor or director, as of an orchestra, band, or chorus.
  2. the player at the head of the first violins in an orchestra, the principal cornetist in a band, or the principal soprano in a chorus, to whom any incidental solos are usually assigned.
4.
a featured article of trade, especially one offered at a low price to attract customers.
Compare loss leader.
5.
Journalism.
  1. leading article (def 1).
  2. Also called leading article. British. the principal editorial in a newspaper.
6.
blank film or tape at the beginning of a length of film or magnetic tape, used for threading a motion-picture camera, tape recorder, etc.
Compare trailer (def 6).
7.
Angling.
  1. a length of nylon, silkworm gut, wire, or the like, to which the lure or hook is attached.
  2. the net used to direct fish into a weir, pound, etc.
8.
a pipe for conveying rain water downward, as from a roof; downspout.
9.
a horse harnessed at the front of a team.
10.
leaders, Printing. a row of dots or a short line to lead the eye across a space.
11.
Nautical, lead1 (def 40b).
12.
a duct for conveying warm air from a hot-air furnace to a register or stack.
13.
Mining. a thin vein of ore connected with a large vein.
Origin
1250-1300; Middle English leder(e). See lead1, -er1
Related forms
leaderless, adjective
subleader, noun
Examples from the web for leader
  • Also described as bowl shaped or vase shaped, an open-center tree has no central leader.
  • Central-leader training is ideal for smaller and medium-size trees.
  • Both sweet and sour cherries can be trained to a central leader or modified central leader.
  • On plants trained to stakes, keep one vertical leader.
  • Within eight weeks, the team leader will receive a decision.
  • If the pre-application is approved, the team leader will receive an email with a link to the full application online.
  • The leader of the group keeps control of his mating territory by fighting off rivals.
  • Or, in the case of birds, perhaps they follow a leader via electromagnetic signals.
  • Their regional chieftaincies, each headed by a leader known as a cacique, crumbled away.
  • Video shows a positive leader of lightning from a cloud.
British Dictionary definitions for leader

leader

/ˈliːdə/
noun
1.
a person who rules, guides, or inspires others; head
2.
(music)
  1. Also called (esp US and Canadian) concertmaster. the principal first violinist of an orchestra, who plays solo parts, and acts as the conductor's deputy and spokesman for the orchestra
  2. (US) a conductor or director of an orchestra or chorus
3.
  1. the first man on a climbing rope
  2. the leading horse or dog in a team
4.
(mainly US & Canadian) an article offered at a sufficiently low price to attract customers See also loss leader
5.
a statistic or index that gives an advance indication of the state of the economy
6.
(mainly Brit) Also called leading article. the leading editorial in a newspaper
7.
(angling) another word for trace2 (sense 2), cast (sense 32a)
8.
(nautical) another term for fairlead
9.
a strip of blank film or tape used to facilitate threading a projector, developing machine, etc, and to aid identification
10.
(pl) (printing) rows of dots or hyphens used to guide the reader's eye across a page, as in a table of contents
11.
(botany) any of the long slender shoots that grow from the stem or branch of a tree: usually removed during pruning
12.
(Brit) a member of the Government having primary authority in initiating legislative business (esp in the phrases Leader of the House of Commons and Leader of the House of Lords)
13.
the senior barrister, usually a Queen's Counsel, in charge of the conduct of a case Compare junior (sense 6)
Derived Forms
leaderless, adjective
Word Origin and History for leader
n.

Old English lædere "one who leads," agent noun from lædan (see lead (v.)). As a title for the head of an authoritarian state, from 1918 (translating führer, Duce, caudillo, etc.). Meaning "writing or statement meant to begin a discussion or debate" is late 13c.; in modern use often short for leading article (1807) "opinion piece in a British newspaper" (leader in this sense attested from 1837).