lead vs led :

lead or led

When you’re hit over the head, the instrument could be a “lead” pipe. But when it’s a verb, “lead” is the present and “led” is the past tense. The problem is that the past tense is pronounced exactly like the above-mentioned plumbing material (“plumb” comes from a word meaning “lead”), so people confuse the two. In a sentence like “She led us to the scene of the crime,” always use the three-letter spelling.

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Definitions

  • n  an advantage held by a competitor in a race
    he took the lead at the last turn
  • 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  evidence pointing to a possible solution
    the police are following a promising lead
  • n  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
  • n  the angle between the direction a gun is aimed and the position of a moving target (correcting for the flight time of the missile)
  • n  the introductory section of a story
    it was an amusing lead-in to a very serious matter
  • n  (sports) the score by which a team or individual is winning
  • n  an actor who plays a principal role
  • n  (baseball) the position taken by a base runner preparing to advance to the next base
    he took a long lead off first
  • n  an indication of potential opportunity
    a good lead for a job
  • n  a news story of major importance
  • n  the timing of ignition relative to the position of the piston in an internal-combustion engine
  • n  restraint consisting of a rope (or light chain) used to restrain an animal
  • 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  a jumper that consists of a short piece of wire
    it was a tangle of jumper cables and clip leads
  • n  the playing of a card to start a trick in bridge
    the lead was in the dummy
  • v  take somebody somewhere
    We lead him to our chief
  • v  have as a result or residue
  • v  tend to or result in
    This remark lead to further arguments among the guests
  • v  travel in front of; go in advance of others
  • v  cause to undertake a certain action
  • v  stretch out over a distance, space, time, or scope; run or extend between two points or beyond a certain point
  • v  be in charge of
  • v  be ahead of others; be the first
  • v  be conducive to
    The use of computers in the classroom lead to better writing
  • v  lead, as in the performance of a composition; Barenboim conducted the Chicago symphony for years"
  • v  lead, extend, or afford access
  • v  move ahead (of others) in time or space
  • v  cause something to pass or lead somewhere
  • v  preside over

  • n  diode such that light emitted at a p-n junction is proportional to the bias current; color depends on the material used
  • v  take somebody somewhere
  • v  have as a result or residue
  • v  tend to or result in
  • v  travel in front of; go in advance of others
  • v  cause to undertake a certain action
    Her greed led her to forge the checks
  • v  stretch out over a distance, space, time, or scope; run or extend between two points or beyond a certain point
    His knowledge doesn't go very far
  • v  be in charge of
  • v  be ahead of others; be the first
  • v  be conducive to
  • v  lead, as in the performance of a composition; Barenboim conducted the Chicago symphony for years"
  • v  lead, extend, or afford access
  • v  move ahead (of others) in time or space
  • v  cause something to pass or lead somewhere
  • v  preside over
News & Articles

  • Lead Levels High In Lincoln Neighborhood
    A former lead recycling company may have left behind higher-than-normal lead levels in residential yards in a Lincoln neighborhood.
    June 13, 2013 - WOWT Omaha
  • More lead tests sought in Lincoln neighborhood
    A former lead recycling company may have left behind higher-than-normal lead levels in residential yards in a Lincoln neighborhood.
    June 13, 2013 - KGWN-TV Cheyenne
  • Lead Instrument & Controls Engineer
    Lead I&C Engineer - Denver, Colorado Our Client Is a fully integrated engineering, construction, and technical services organization with the capabilities to support every stage of the project life cycle from inception through start-up and operation to decommissioning and closure.
    June 12, 2013 - Rigzone