Business Definition for: Lead

• in an insurance policy from Lloyd's, the first named underwriting syndicate

Wiktionary Definition for: Lead

• uncountable chemistry A heavy, pliable, inelastic metal element, having a bright, bluish color, but easily tarnished; both malleable and ductile, though with little tenacity. It is easily fusible, forms alloys with other metals, and is an ingredient of solder and type metal. Atomic number 82, Atomic weight 206.4, Specific Gravity 11.37, Symbol Pb (from Latin ''plumbum'').
• countable A plummet or mass of lead, used in sounding at sea.
• A thin strip of type metal, used to separate lines of type in printing.
• Sheets or plates of lead used as a covering for roofs.
• (''In plural'') '''leads''': A roof covered with lead sheets or terne plates.
• Ex:'''Quotations'''
• Ex:*I would have the tower two stories, and goodly leads upon the top. — Bacon
• countable A cylinder of black lead or plumbago used in pencils.
• transitive To cover, fill, or affect with lead; as, continuous firing leads the grooves of a rifle.
• transitive (''printing'') To place leads between the lines of; as, to lead a page; leaded matter.
• transitive To guide or conduct with the hand, or by means of some physical contact connection; as, a father leads a child; a jockey leads a horse with a halter; a dog leads a blind man.
• Ex:'''Quotations'''
• Ex:*If a blind man lead a blind man, both fall down in the ditch. — John Wyclif on ''Matthew 15:14''
• Ex:*They thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill. — ''Luke 4:29
• Ex:*In thy right hand lead with thee The mountain nymph, sweet Liberty. — w:John Milton John Milton
• transitive To guide or conduct in a certain course, or to a certain place or end, by making the way known; to show the way, especially by going with or going in advance of, to lead a pupil; to guide somebody somewhere or to bring somebody somewhere by means of instructions. Hence, figuratively: To direct; to counsel; to instruct; as, to lead a traveler.
• Ex:'''Quotations'''
• Ex:*The Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way. — ''Exodus 13:21
• Ex:*He leadeth me beside the still waters. — ''Psalms 23:2
• Ex:*This thought might lead me through the world's vain mask. Content, though blind, had I no better guide. — Milton.
• transitive To conduct or direct with authority; to have direction or charge of; as, to lead an army, an exploring party, or a search; to lead a political party; to command, especially a military or business unit
• Ex:'''Quotations'''
• Ex:*Christ took not upon him flesh and blood that he might conquer and rule nations, '''lead''' armies, or possess places. Robert South?. ''could be Wilton or Eudora''.
• transitive To go or to be in advance of; to precede; hence, to be foremost or chief among; as, the big sloop led the fleet of yachts; the Guards led the attack; Demosthenes leads the orators of all ages.
• Ex:'''Quotations'''
• Ex:*As Hesperus, that leads the sun his way. — Fairfax.
• Ex:*And lo! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest. — Leigh Hunt
• transitive To draw or direct by influence, whether good or bad; to prevail on; to induce; to entice; to allure; as, to lead one to espouse a righteous cause.
• Ex:'''Quotations'''
• Ex:*He was driven by the necessities of the times, more than '''led''' by his own disposition, to any rigor of actions. — Eikon Basilike
• Ex:*Silly women, laden with sins, '''led''' away by divers lusts. — ''2 Timothy 3:6 (Revised version)''.
• transitive To guide or conduct oneself in, through, or along (a certain course); hence, to proceed in the way of; to follow the path or course of; to pass; to spend. Also, to cause (one) to proceed or follow in (a certain course).
• Ex:'''Quotations'''
• Ex:*That we may '''lead''' a quiet and peaceable life. — ''1 Timothy 2:2''
• Ex:*Nor thou with shadowed hint confuse A life that '''leads''' melodious days. — Alfred Tennyson
• Ex:*You remember . . . the life he used to '''lead''' his wife and daughter. — Charles Dickens
• transitive (''cards, dominoes'') To begin a game, round, or trick, with; as, to lead trumps; the double five was led.
• intransitive To guide or conduct, as by accompanying, going before, showing, influencing, directing with authority, etc.; to have precedence or preëminence; to be first or chief; — used in most of the senses of the transitive verb.
• intransitive To be ahead of others, e.g., in a race
• intransitive To have the highest interim score in a game
• intransitive To be more advanced in technology or business than others
• intransitive To tend or reach in a certain direction, or to a certain place; as, the path leads to the mill; gambling leads to other vices.
• Ex:'''Quotations'''
• Ex:*The mountain foot that leads towards Mantua. — Shakespeare, ''Two Gentlemen of Verona'' V-ii
• intransitive To lead off or out, to go first; to begin.
• uncountable The act of leading or conducting; guidance; direction; as, to take the lead; to be under the lead of another.
• Ex:'''Quotations'''
• Ex:*At the time I speak of, and having a momentary '''lead''', . . . I am sure I did my country important service. — Edmund Burke
• uncountable Precedence; advance position; also, the measure of precedence; as, the white horse had the lead; a lead of a boat's length, or of half a second; the state of being ahead in a race; the highest score in a game in an incomplete game.
• baseball When a runner steps away from a base while waiting for the pitch to be thrown
• Ex:''The runner took his '''lead''' from first.''
• uncountable (''cards and dominoes'') The act or right of playing first in a game or round; the card suit, or piece, so played; as, your partner has the lead.
• countable A channel of open water in an ice field.
• countable (''mining'') A lode.
• nautical The course of a rope from end to end.
• A rope, leather strap, or similar device with which to lead an animal; a leash
• In a steam engine, The width of port opening which is uncovered by the valve, for the admission or release of steam, at the instant when the piston is at end of its stroke.
• (''civil engineering'') The distance of haul, as from a cutting to an embankment.
• (''horology'') The action of a tooth, as a tooth of a wheel, in impelling another tooth or a pallet. — Claudias Saunier
• Information obtained by a detective or police officer that allows him or her to discover further details about a crime or incident.
• Information obtained by a news reporter about an issue or subject that allows him or her to discover more details.
• uncountable (''typography'') Vertical space in advance of a row or between rows of text. Also known as ''leading''.
• Ex:''This copy has too much lead; I prefer less space between the lines.''
• curling The player who throws the first two rocks for a team.
• cattag marketing A potential customer.
• italbrac newspapers A teaser; a lead in; the start of a newpaper column, telling who, what, when, where, why and how.
• ''(not comparable)'' foremost Foremost.
• Ex:''The contestants are all tied; no one has the lead position.''
• to pass down, to hand down, to turn in, to drop off
• lead