n. the playing of a card to start a trick in bridge; "the lead was in the dummy"

n. an advantage held by a competitor in a race; "he took the lead at the last turn"

n. the introductory section of a story; "it was an amusing lead-in to a very serious matter"

n. (baseball) the position taken by a base runner preparing to advance to the next base; "he took a long lead off first"

n. thin strip of metal used to separate lines of type in printing

n. mixture of graphite with clay in different degrees of hardness; the marking substance in a pencil

n. the timing of ignition relative to the position of the piston in an internal-combustion engine

n. a news story of major importance

n. a jumper that consists of a short piece of wire; "it was a tangle of jumper cables and clip leads"

n. restraint consisting of a rope (or light chain) used to restrain an animal

n. evidence pointing to a possible solution; "the police are following a promising lead"; "the trail led straight to the perpetrator"

n. an actor who plays a principal role

n. 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"

n. an indication of potential opportunity; "he got a tip on the stock market"; "a good lead for a job"

v. cause to undertake a certain action; "Her greed led her to forge the checks"

v. be ahead of others; be the first; "she topped her class every year"

v. to make the first play

v. move ahead (of others) in time or space

v. lead, extend, or afford access; "This door goes to the basement"; "The road runs South"

v. cause something to pass or lead somewhere; "Run the wire behind the cabinet"

v. preside over; "John moderated the discussion"

v. lead musicians in the performance of; "Bernstein conducted Mahler like no other conductor"; "she cannot conduct modern pieces"

v. be conducive to; "The use of computers in the classroom lead to better writing"

v. take somebody somewhere; "We lead him to our chief"; "can you take me to the main entrance?"; "He conducted us to the palace"

v. stretch out over a distance, space, time, or scope; run or extend between two points or beyond a certain point; "Service runs all the way to Cranbury"; "His knowledge doesn't go very far"; "My memory extends back to my fourth year of life"; "The facts extend beyond a consideration of her personal assets"

n. an actor's portrayal of someone in a play; "she played the part of Desdemona"

n. the period of greatest prosperity or productivity

n. a light insulated conductor for household use

n. a strong line

n. a stimulus that provides information about what to do

n. actress who plays the leading female role

n. a distinguished female operatic singer; a female operatic star

n. a person who backs a politician or a team etc.; "all their supporters came out for the game"; "they are friends of the library"

n. a subtle difference in meaning or opinion or attitude; "without understanding the finer nuances you can't enjoy the humor"; "don't argue about shades of meaning"

n. a proposal offered for acceptance or rejection; "it was a suggestion we couldn't refuse"

n. (usually plural) an ulterior implicit meaning or quality; "overtones of despair"

n. what you must know in order to determine the reference of an expression

n. a slight indication

n. punishment intended as a warning to others; "they decided to make an example of him"

n. evidence that helps to solve a problem

n. a clue that something has been present

n. a customary way of operation or behavior; "it is their practice to give annual raises"; "they changed their dietary pattern"

n. speaking softly without vibration of the vocal cords

v. provoke someone to do something through (often false or exaggerated) promises or persuasion; "He lured me into temptation"

v. induce into action by using one's charm; "She charmed him into giving her all his money"

v. decide with authority; "The King decreed that all firstborn males should be killed"

v. be or do something to a greater degree; "her performance surpasses that of any other student I know"; "She outdoes all other athletes"; "This exceeds all my expectations"; "This car outperforms all others in its class"

v. direct (oneself) somewhere; "Steer clear of him"

v. guide or pass over something; "He ran his eyes over her body"; "She ran her fingers along the carved figurine"; "He drew her hair through his fingers"

v. show (someone) to their seats, as in theaters or auditoriums; "The usher showed us to our seats"

v. furnish with a preface or introduction; "She always precedes her lectures with a joke"; "He prefaced his lecture with a critical remark about the institution"

v. act as president; "preside over companies and corporations"

v. be in charge of, act on, or dispose of; "I can deal with this crew of workers"; "This blender can't handle nuts"; "She managed her parents' affairs after they got too old"

v. watch and direct; "Who is overseeing this project?"

v. accompany or escort; "I'll walk you to your car"

v. accompany as a chaperone

v. accompany or escort; "I'll see you to the door"

v. work in an administrative capacity; supervise; "administer a program"

v. exercise authoritative control or power over; "control the budget"; "Command the military forces"

v. exercise authority over; as of nations; "Who is governing the country now?"

v. put or introduce into something; "insert a picture into the text"

v. act or preside as chair, as of an academic department in a university; "She chaired the department for many years"

v. look down on; "The villa dominates the town"

v. act between parties with a view to reconciling differences; "He interceded in the family dispute"; "He mediated a settlement"

v. get involved, so as to alter or hinder an action, or through force or threat of force; "Why did the U.S. not intervene earlier in WW II?"

v. vary the pitch of one's speech

v. act as a master of ceremonies

v. assign under a mandate; of nations

v. fill or load to capacity; "charge the wagon with hay"

v. assign authority to

v. blame for, make a claim of wrongdoing or misbehavior against; "he charged thee director with indifference"

v. be a guiding force, as with directions or advice; "The teacher steered the gifted students towards the more challenging courses"

v. act as the navigator in a car, plane, or vessel and plan, direct, plot the path and position of the conveyance; "Is anyone volunteering to navigate during the trip?"; "Who was navigating the ship during the accident?"

v. accompany as a chaperone

v. escort in transit; "the trucks convoyed the cars across the battle zone"; "the warships convoyed the merchant ships across the Pacific"

v. range or extend over; occupy a certain area; "The plants straddle the entire state"

v. include in scope; include as part of something broader; have as one's sphere or territory; "This group encompasses a wide range of people from different backgrounds"; "this should cover everyone in the group"

v. spread across or over; "A big oil spot spread across the water"

v. move ahead; travel onward in time or space; "We proceeded towards Washington"; "She continued in the direction of the hills"; "We are moving ahead in time now"

v. become longer by being stretched and pulled; "The fabric stretches"

v. move forward or upward in order to touch; also in a metaphorical sense; "Government reaches out to the people"

v. extend in scope or range or area; "The law was extended to all citizens"; "widen the range of applications"; "broaden your horizon"; "Extend your backyard"

v. look down on; "The villa dominates the town"

v. have sovereign power; "Henry VIII reigned for a long time"

v. exercise authority over; as of nations; "Who is governing the country now?"

v. to extend as far as; "The sunlight reached the wall"; "Can he reach?" "The chair must not touch the wall"

v. be in line with; form a line along; "trees line the riverbank"

v. to travel behind, go after, come after; "The ducklings followed their mother around the pond"; "Please follow the guide through the museum"

v. follow in or as if in pursuit; "The police car pursued the suspected attacker"; "Her bad deed followed her and haunted her dreams all her life"

v. be obedient to