Collocations for "lead"
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word "lead" in context.
WordReference English Collocations © 2025
lead
ⓘMost examples are given in US English. We have labeled exceptions as UK.n
- contains [high, low] levels of lead
- has [high] levels of lead in his [body, blood]
- the [paint, plastic] contains lead
- is made [of, from] lead
- is cast [out of, from] lead
- filled him full of lead
- lead and [zinc, copper, tin]
- lead is poisonous
- a pencil lead
- the lead of my pencil
- UK, slang: this'll put (some) lead in your pencil!
- will take the lead in the [play, company, group]
- is (playing) the lead (in)
- is the team lead
- take the lead on this (one)
- take your lead from [the customer, your baby]
- is performing as the lead (in)
- followed [her sister's, the manager's, the guide's] lead
- has a five- [meter, second, point] lead
- has a lead of [five] seconds
- took the lead in the [race, competition, rankings]
- lost his lead (in the race)
- follow a (good) lead
- do you have any leads (on) ...?
- the [journalist, reporter, police] got a lead
- get a lead on the [story, incident, crime]
- UK: a dog lead
- US: a dog leash
- [tighten, loosen, pull on] the dog's lead
- UK: the dog [pulled, strained] at its lead
- hold the lead
- at the end of the lead
- wear a lead [vest, jacket]
- don't use lead paint
- lead [piping, pipe]
- a lead and [zinc, tin, copper] alloy
- has lead poisoning
- a lead filling
- lead by example
- leading in [sales, popularity]
- leading by [3 seconds, 2 points, 1 goal]
- are leading at [halftime, the quarter]
- lead into a new [era, millennium]
- lead into a [sentence, topic, song] (with)
- lead the [troops, soldiers] (into)
- lead a [discussion, team]
- lead the [strike, revolution, movement]
- leads the way (in)
- lead the [development, research] of
- leading the [race, other competition]
- leads the [nation, industry] in
- lead him through the [dark, maze, hall, school]
- led him to [change his mind, rethink]
- leads me to believe (that)
- led to her [resignation, promotion]
- has led to [this, the current] situation
- lead a [healthy, good, responsible, compassionate] life
- lead on!
- is the lead [singer, developer, guitarist]
- played the lead [role, part] in
'lead' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
acceptable
- active
- actor
- actress
- addiction
- altar
- apron
- article
- assured
- astray
- balloon
- band
- base
- basic
- bill
- cage
- cattle
- charity
- chip
- choir
- clean
- clot
- coach
- cold
- collapse
- comply
- consumption
- contain
- dancer
- dig
- discover
- discovery
- dizziness
- dose
- dreadful
- enormous
- example
- expert
- factual
- famine
- fierce
- flooding
- follow
- full
- global
- grace
- grave
- guitar
- hammer
- heavy