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"
possession of controlling influence; "the deterrent power of nuclear weapons"; "the power of his love saved her"; "his powerfulness was concealed by a gentle facade"
one possessing or exercising power or influence or authority; "the mysterious presence of an evil power"; "may the force be with you"; "the forces of evil"
(physics) the rate of doing work; measured in watts (= joules/second)
supply the force or power for the functioning of; "The gasoline powers the engines"
a hand tool with a flat face used for smoothing and finishing the surface of plaster or cement or stucco
an elaborate display mounted on a platform carried by a truck (or pulled by a truck) in a procession or parade
the number of shares outstanding and available for trading by the public
the time interval between the deposit of a check in a bank and its payment
convert from a fixed point notation to a floating point notation; "float data"
allow (currencies) to fluctuate; "The government floated the ruble for a few months"
make the surface of level or smooth; "float the plaster"
put into the water; "float a ship"
move lightly, as if suspended; "The dancer floated across the stage"
set afloat; "He floated the logs down the river"; "The boy floated his toy boat on the pond"
be in motion due to some air or water current; "The leaves were blowing in the wind"; "the boat drifted on the lake"; "The sailboat was adrift on the open sea"; "the shipwrecked boat drifted away from the shore"
be afloat; stay on a liquid surface; not sink
circulate or discuss tentatively; test the waters with; "The Republicans are floating the idea of a tax reform"