the playing of a card to start a trick in bridge; "the lead was in the dummy"
a position of leadership (especially in the phrase `take the lead'); "he takes the lead in any group"; "we were just waiting for someone to take the lead"; "they didn't follow our lead"
mixture of graphite with clay in different degrees of hardness; the marking substance in a pencil
thin strip of metal used to separate lines of type in printing
an advantage held by a competitor in a race; "he took the lead at the last turn"
evidence pointing to a possible solution; "the police are following a promising lead"; "the trail led straight to the perpetrator"
the introductory section of a story; "it was an amusing lead-in to a very serious matter"
a news story of major importance
(baseball) the position taken by a base runner preparing to advance to the next base; "he took a long lead off first"
(sports) the score by which a team or individual is winning
the angle between the direction a gun is aimed and the position of a moving target (correcting for the flight time of the missile)
a soft heavy toxic malleable metallic element; bluish white when freshly cut but tarnishes readily to dull grey; "the children were playing with lead soldiers"
cause to undertake a certain action; "Her greed led her to forge the checks"
travel in front of; go in advance of others; "The procession was headed by John"
take somebody somewhere; "We lead him to our chief"; "can you take me to the main entrance?"; "He conducted us to the palace"
tend to or result in; "This remark lead to further arguments among the guests"
be ahead of others; be the first; "she topped her class every year"
protection from harm; "sanitation is the best defense against disease"
military action or resources protecting a country against potential enemies; "they died in the defense of Stalingrad"; "they were developed for the defense program"
a defendant's answer or plea denying the truth of the charges against him; "he gave evidence for the defense"
the justification for some act or belief; "he offered a persuasive defense of the theory"
an organization of defenders that provides resistance against attack; "he joined the defense against invasion"
the defendant and his legal advisors collectively; "the defense called for a mistrial"
(sports) the team that is trying to prevent the other team from scoring; "his teams are always good on defense"
make a counterattack and return like for like, especially evil for evil; "The Empire strikes back"; "The Giants struck back and won the opener"; "The Israeli army retaliated for the Hamas bombing"
spread or diffuse through; "An atmosphere of distrust has permeated this administration"; "music penetrated the entire building"; "His campaign was riddled with accusations and personal attacks"