The Oxford Thesaurus An A-Z Dictionary of Synonyms INTRO ...

lead v. 1 conduct, escort, usher, guide, show the way, pilot, steer:
If you lead, I'll follow. 2 cause, influence, prompt, bring,
incline, induce, persuade, move, dispose, convince: What led
you to suspect the butler? 3 head (up), direct, govern,
command, supervise, superintend, preside (over), take the lead,
take or assume command (of), manage, captain, Colloq skipper:
The orchestra would like you to lead. Who is going to lead the
men into battle? Nicole leads a weekly discussion group on
alcoholism. 4 come or be or go first, excel, surpass, exceed,
precede, be ahead (of), outstrip, distance, outrun, outdo: They
lead the world in the production of sugar. 5 live, experience,
spend, pass; while away: He is leading a life of ease on the
French Riviera. 6 be conducive to, create, engender, cause,
contribute to, result in, bring on or about, produce: Your
stubbornness can lead only to frustration. 7 lead astray. lead
on, mislead, misguide, misdirect, deceive; fool, decoy,
hoodwink, Colloq bamboozle: She might have been led astray by
that wolf in sheep's clothing. 8 lead off. start (off or in or
out or up), begin, commence, get going or moving, get under way,
initiate, inaugurate, Colloq kick off: The proceedings will
lead off with the national anthem. Who is going to lead off the
singing? 9 lead on. a See 7, above. b lure, entice, seduce,
beguile, inveigle, tempt: They led me on with offers of a huge
salary. 10 lead up to. a prepare or pave or clear (the way),
do the groundwork or spadework, precede: The events leading up
to the overthrow of the government may never be known. b
approach, broach, bring up, present, introduce, work up or round
or around to, get (up) to: I should lead up to the subject
delicately, if I were you.
--n. 11 front, vanguard, van, lead or leading position or
place, advance or advanced position or place: The horse that he
had bet on was in the lead coming down the home straight. 12
advantage, edge, advance, supremacy, margin, priority, primacy,
pre-eminence: She has the lead over all her competitors. Our
team had a two-point lead at half-time. 13 direction, guidance,
leadership, precedent, example, model, exemplar, pattern,
standard: We decided to follow his lead. 14 tip, clue, hint,
suggestion, cue, intimation; prospect, possibility, potential;
Colloq tip-off: Barry is following up some leads for a new job.
The advertisement produced some new sales leads. 15 leash,
tether, restraint, cord, chain: The dog fetches his lead