VERB + LEAD
- give, take
- The government should give a lead in tackling racism
- follow
PREP
- ~ in
- We should follow their lead in banning chemical weapons
ADJ
- big, clear, comfortable, commanding, good, strong
- narrow
- overall
- early
VERB + LEAD
- be in, have
- She has a narrow lead over the other runners
- go into, move into, take
- They took an early lead
- build up, establish
- The team has now built up a commanding lead
- hold, maintain
- lose
- regain
- They regained the lead with only a few minutes left to play
- put sb/sth (back) into
- extend, increase
- Sheffield increased their lead just before half time
- give
PREP
- in/into the ~
- struggling to stay in the lead
- ~ over
- This win gives the team a two-point lead over their closest rival
VERB + LEAD
- play
- Her big break came when she was chosen to play the lead in a Broadway musical
LEAD + NOUN
- role
- singer
- guitar, guitarist
ADJ
- good
- new
- possible
- The police are following every possible lead
PREP
- ~ on
- leads on the murderer's identity
ADV
- back, on
- 'Lead on!' said Arnold
VERB + LEAD
- help (to)
- Five people helping to lead a convoy of aid are feared dead
- allow sb to, let sb
- Let me lead the way
PREP
- along, down, into, out of, through, to, etc.
- She led them along a dark corridor to a small room
PHRASES
- lead the way
- You lead the way and we'll follow
ADV
- directly
- back, down, up
- An old track led back through the wood
- nowhere, somewhere (often figurative)
- Often there are discoveries which lead nowhere
PREP
- from, onto
- The gardens lead directly onto a beach
- to
- a path leading from the village to the old church
ADV
- normally, usually
- inevitably, inexorably
- Industrialization inevitably led to the expansion of the urban working class
- (almost) certainly, undoubtedly
- not necessarily
- The use of soft drugs does not necessarily lead to a progression to hard drugs
- automatically
- Business success does not automatically lead to financial success
- naturally
- Discussion of a client's tax affairs will lead naturally into consideration of investment options
- directly
- indirectly
- eventually, ultimately
VERB + LEAD
- can/could (easily/only), may/might (well), must
- Sugar and fat can more easily lead to obesity than some other foods. The carbon tax might well lead to a doubling of prices for fossil fuels
- appear to, seem to
- be expected to, be likely to, tend to
- Worrying about your weight is more likely to lead to comforting yourself with a piece of chocolate
- be bound to
PREP
- to
- the events that led eventually to war