Phrase guide

in the lead

prep_phrase · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˌɪnðəˈliːd/
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

prep_phrase

Meaning 1

in first place in a contest, or parade.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adjective satellite

Meaning 2

having the leading position or higher score in a contest

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he is ahead by a pawn
  • the leading team in the pennant race

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: ahead(p), leading

Antonyms: none provided

3

adverb

Meaning 3

leading or ahead in a competition

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the horse was three lengths ahead going into the home stretch
  • ahead by two pawns
  • our candidate is in the lead in the polls
  • way out front in the race
  • the advertising campaign put them out front in sales

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: ahead, out front

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

10 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: al capdavant — in first place
  • Chinese Mandarin: 领先 (lǐngxiān) — in first place
  • French: en tête — in first place
  • Hungarian: vezet — in first place
  • Hungarian: első helyen (áll) — in first place
  • Italian: in testa — in first place
  • Portuguese: na frente — in first place
  • Portuguese: na liderança — in first place
  • Spanish: estar ganando — in first place
  • Spanish: a la cabeza — in first place