lead
Base form
lead
/liːd/
Past simple
led
/led/
Past participle
led
/led/
MeaningA2
to show the way by going first
to lead 2–0 at half-time
In use
- After a modal verb · Form 1Who will lead the team while Maria is on holiday?
- Imperative · Form 1Lead the way, you know the old town better than I do.
- Past simple · Form 2Last night Aisha led our team to victory in the pub quiz.
- Past simple · Form 2A local guide led us through the forest yesterday morning.
- Passive · Form 3The children were led out of the building during the fire drill.
- Past perfect · Form 3Ben had led the project for two years before he left the company.
Watch out
The past is spelt led, though the metal lead sounds the same /led/: she lead the team → she led the team.
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