leader

noun

ˈlē-dər How to pronounce leader (audio)
Definition of leadernext
1
as in pioneer
one that takes the lead or sets an example an architectural firm that is widely regarded as a leader in innovative residential design

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in boss
the person (as an employer or supervisor) who tells people and especially workers what to do the team leader is good at making sure that everyone keeps busy at their assigned tasks

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in conduit
a long hollow cylinder for carrying a substance (as a liquid or gas) the leader funnels water off of the roof and down into the cistern

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of leader Next week, John Ternus will officially take the reins at Apple from longtime CEO Tim Cook, one of the most successful corporate leaders of all time. — Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 25 Aug. 2026 Paul Kuehneman, who has served as interim CFO since October 2025, will remain a key senior leader within the company's finance organization. — Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026 Bonta has also faced pressure to reach a settlement from industry stakeholders and California political leaders. — Gene Maddaus, Variety, 25 Aug. 2026 The report said leaders need to pair inventory increases with demand forecasting upgrades. — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 25 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for leader
Recent Examples of Synonyms for leader
  1. pioneer
  2. boss
  3. conduit
  4. pacesetter
  5. foreman
  6. pipe
  7. captain
  8. channel
Noun
  • In reality, decades of land abuse and exploitation left behind a scarred terrain uniquely prepared for the arrival of kudzu as a fast-growing pioneer plant.
    — The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The early quantum pioneers didn’t realize — at first — that the arcane math that strikingly captured the conduct of atoms had left the real world behind.
    — Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of pioneer
Noun
  • But will the new Fed boss keep investors guessing on the central bank’s rate path and his views on the Treasury’s intervention in the bond market?
    — Leonie Kidd, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The Rebels are likely to be favored when Golding hosts his former boss in Week 3.
    — Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of boss
Noun
  • Otherwise, after decades of exclusion, Syria could return to the regional map merely as a fragile conduit for others’ commercial exploits.
    — Jesse Marks, Foreign Affairs, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Vessels have continued to endure more attacks for sailing through the conduit, which before the war in Iran harbored as much as 20 percent of the world’s oil supply.
    — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of conduit
Noun
  • As pacesetter Powershift fell behind down the stretch, Commandment and Golden Tempo burst ahead, running neck-and-neck before Golden Tempo pulled away and crossed the finish line by more than a length.
    — Emily Ohman, New York Times, 6 June 2026
  • Though a genre-fluid affair, the Blue Note fest also features some of the most adventurous pacesetters in modern jazz, among them the flautist Shabaka, the London septet Kokoroko, the trumpeter Chief Adjuah, and the harpist Brandee Younger.
    — Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 22 May 2026
Definition of pacesetter
Noun
  • In the mechanical maintenance shop, five employees and the foreman escaped, but two were killed from exposure to the chemical, the report said.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Corey Sooter, 44, a foreman for an electrical company working on the project, died on June 10.
    — PJ Green, Kansas City Star, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of foreman
Noun
  • Aguas de La Habana, the state utilities company in the capital, issues daily updates to clients on service interruptions caused by electricity cuts or burst pipes.
    — Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The project is expected to start sending water into city pipes as soon as early 2029.
    — Alex Hager, NPR, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of pipe
Noun
  • During the surge, the most important of these turned out to be those founded during the upheaval that followed George Floyd’s murder, when residents gathered in nearby parks to organize block associations led by captains.
    — Emily Witt, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Each jet had three senior captains onboard, Airlink said, operating in the roles of a commander, a co-pilot and a safety officer.
    — Michelle Gumede, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of captain
Noun
  • The island, just over 2 miles long, was created in the late 1960s from sand dredged during the deepening of the Elbe shipping channel that serves the port of Hamburg, then left to itself and gradually planted over.
    — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Another transition, as if someone had switched channels to a prestige family drama (kudos to the many hats cinematographer Zach Kuperstein wears), takes us to a regular modern-day suburban street.
    — Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of channel

Browse Nearby Words

leaden
leader
leaders
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Leader.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/leader. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of dissonant

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All