[1] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

lead \lead\ le^d, v. t. imp.  p. p. leaded; p. pr.  vb.
   n. leading.
   1. to cover, fill, or affect with lead; as, continuous firing
      leads the grooves of a rifle.
      1913 webster

   2. print. to place leads between the lines of; as, to lead
      a page; leaded matter.
      1913 webster
see also:
leaded leading 

[2] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

lead \lead\ l=ed, v. t. imp.  p. p. led le^d; p. pr.
    vb. n. leading. oe. leden, as. l=aedan akin to os.
   l=edian, d. leiden, g. leiten, icel. leimacetha, sw.
   leda, dan. lede, properly a causative fr. as. liethan to
   go; akin to ohg. limacdan, icel. limacetha, goth.
   leithornan in comp.. cf. lode, loath.
   1. to guide or conduct with the hand, or by means of some
      physical contact or connection; as, a father leads a
      child; a jockey leads a horse with a halter; a dog leads a
      blind man.
      1913 webster

            if a blind man lead a blind man, both fall down in
            the ditch.                            --wyclif
                                                  matt. xv.
                                                  14.
      1913 webster

            they thrust him out of the city, and led him unto
            the brow of the hill.                 --luke iv. 29.
      1913 webster

            in thy right hand lead with thee
            the mountain nymph, sweet liberty.    --milton.
      1913 webster

   2. to guide or conduct in a certain course, or to a certain
      place or end, by making the way known; to show the way,
      esp. by going with or going in advance of. hence,
      figuratively: to direct; to counsel; to instruct; as, to
      lead a traveler; to lead a pupil.
      1913 webster

            the lord went before them by day in a pillar of a
            cloud, to lead them the way.          --ex. xiii.
                                                  21.
      1913 webster

            he leadeth me beside the still waters. --ps. xxiii.
                                                  2.
      1913 webster

            this thought might lead me through the world's vain
            mask.
            content, though blind, had i no better guide.
                                                  --milton.
      1913 webster

   3. 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.
      1913 webster

            christ took not upon him flesh and blood that he
            might conquer and rule nations, lead armies, or
            possess places.                       --south.
      1913 webster

   4. 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.
      1913 webster

            as hesperus, that leads the sun his way. --fairfax.
      1913 webster

            and lo  ben adhem's name led all the rest. --leigh
                                                  hunt.
      1913 webster

   5. 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.
      1913 webster

            he was driven by the necessities of the times, more
            than led by his own disposition, to any rigor of
            actions.                              --eikon
                                                  basilike.
      1913 webster

            silly women, laden with sins, led away by divers
            lusts.                                --2 tim. iii.
                                                  6 rev. ver..
      1913 webster

   6. to guide or conduct one's self 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.
      1913 webster

            that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life. --1
                                                  tim. ii. 2.
      1913 webster

            nor thou with shadowed hint confuse
            a life that leads melodious days.     --tennyson.
      1913 webster

            you remember . . . the life he used to lead his wife
            and daughter.                         --dickens.
      1913 webster

   7. cards  dominoes to begin a game, round, or trick, with;
      as, to lead trumps; the double five was led.
      1913 webster

   to lead astray, to guide in a wrong way, or into error; to
      seduce from truth or rectitude.

   to lead captive, to carry or bring into captivity.

   to lead the way, to show the way by going in front; to act
      as guide. --goldsmith.
      1913 webster
see also:
led leading lode loath to lead astray to lead captive 
to lead the way 

[3] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

leading \lead"ing\, n.
   1. the act of guiding, directing, governing, or enticing;
      guidance. --shak.
      1913 webster

   2. suggestion; hint; example. archaic --bacon.
      1913 webster

[4] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

leading \lead"ing\, a.
   guiding; directing; controlling; foremost; as, a leading
   motive; a leading man; a leading example. -- lead"ingly,
   adv.
   1913 webster

   leading case law, a reported decision which has come to
      be regarded as settling the law of the question involved.
      --abbott.

   leading motive a translation of g. leitmotif mus., a
      guiding theme; in the musical drama of wagner, a marked
      melodic phrase or short passage which always accompanies
      the reappearance of a certain person, situation, abstract
      idea, or allusion in the course of the play; a sort of
      musical label. also called leitmotif or leitmotiv.

   leading note mus., the seventh note or tone in the
      ascending major scale; the sensible note.

   leading question, a question so framed as to guide the
      person questioned in making his reply.

   leading strings, strings by which children are supported
      when beginning to walk.

   to be in leading strings, to be in a state of infancy or
      dependence, or under the guidance of others.

   leading wheel, a wheel situated before the driving wheels
      of a locomotive engine.
      1913 webster
see also:
lead"ingly leading case leading motive leitmotif leitmotiv leading note 
leading question leading strings to be in leading strings leading wheel 

[5] : WordNet (r) 2.0

leading
     adj 1: indicating the most important performer or role; "the
            leading man"; "prima ballerina"; "prima donna"; "a
            star figure skater"; "the starring role"; "a stellar
            role"; "a stellar performance" syn: leadingp, primap,
             starp, starringp, stellara
     2: going or proceeding or going in advance; showing the way;
        "we rode in the leading car"; "the leading edge of
        technology" ant: following
     3: greatest in importance or degree or significance or
        achievement; "our greatest statesmen"; "the country's
        leading poet"; "a preeminent archeologist" syn: greatest,
         leadinga, preeminent
     4: having the leading position or higher score in a contest;
        "he is ahead by a pawn"; "the leading team in the pennant
        race" syn: aheadp, in the lead
     5: purposefully formulated to elicit a desired response; "a
        leading question"
     n 1: thin strip of metal used to separate lines of type in
          printing syn: lead
     2: the activity of leading; "his leadership inspired the team"
        syn: leadership
see also:
leadingp primap starp starringp stellara following 
greatest leadinga preeminent aheadp in the lead 
lead leadership 

[6] : Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0

161 moby thesaurus words for "leading":
   absolute, all-absorbing, antecedent, anterior, arch, ascendant,
   at the head, authoritarian, authoritative, authority, authorized,
   autocratic, banner, best, boss, capital, cardinal, central,
   champion, chief, clothed with authority, command, commanding,
   competent, conduct, consequential, considerable, control,
   controlling, crowning, directing, direction, directive,
   directorial, directory, dominant, duly constituted, eminent,
   empowered, ex officio, exordial, first, focal, fore, foregoing,
   forehand, foremost, forward, front, frontal, general, governance,
   governing, government, great, greatest, guidance, guiding,
   handling, head, heading, headmost, hegemonic, hegemonistic,
   highest, husbandry, imperative, important, in ascendancy,
   in charge, in chief, in the ascendant, inaugural, influential,
   initial, initiatory, lead, magisterial, maiden, main, management,
   managerial, managery, managing, manipulation, master, matchless,
   mighty, momentous, monocratic, noted, notorious, official,
   ordering, outstanding, overriding, overruling, paramount, peerless,
   pilotage, popular, potent, powerful, precedent, preceding,
   precessional, precursory, predominant, predominate, preeminent,
   prefatory, preliminary, preludial, prelusive, premier, preparatory,
   prepollent, preponderant, preponderate, prepotent, prestigious,
   prevailing, prevalent, prevenient, primal, primary, prime,
   principal, prior, proemial, prominent, propaedeutic, puissant,
   ranking, regnant, regulating, regulation, regulative, regulatory,
   reigning, ruling, running, senior, sovereign, star, steerage,
   steering, stellar, substantial, supereminent, superior, supreme,
   the conn, the helm, the wheel, topflight, topmost, totalitarian,
   unsurpassed, uppermost, weighty

[7] : The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (27 SEP 03)

leading
     
         /ledding/ the spacing between lines of text.  this is
        defined when a font is designed but can often be altered in
        order to change the appearance of the text or for special
        effects.  it is measured in points and is normally 120 of
        the height of the text.
     
        see also kerning, tracking.
     
        1996-06-07
     
     
see also:
text font points kerning tracking 

[8] : Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856)

leading. that which is to be followed; as, a leading case; leading question 
leading counsel. 

Leading >> L Words
Leading, definition of term: Leading
leading_pag1.html

Leading Questio >> L Words
Leading Questio, definition of term: Leading Questio
leading+questio_pag1.html

Leading Edge >> L Words
Leading Edge, definition of term: Leading Edge
leading+edge_pag1.html

Leading Motive >> L Words
Leading Motive, definition of term: Leading Motive
leading+motive_pag1.html