lead the way

lead the way

1. To guide or direct someone somewhere by proceeding ahead of them. I don't know where I'm going, so you should lead the way.
2. To be the most innovative or excellent in a particular area; to be at the forefront of a field or pursuit. That hospital always leads the way in cancer research.
3. To currently be at the top of a contest or ranked activity; to be in the lead. LeBron James leads the way for the all-star voting so far. Jeff is leading the way in fundraising, but Kathy is a close second.
See also: lead, way
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

lead the way

to lead (someone) along the proper pathway. You lead the way, and we'll follow. I feel better when you're leading the way. I get lost easily.
See also: lead, way
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

lead the way

1. Act as a guide, go in advance of others. For example, We asked Tom to lead the way, since he'd hiked this mountain before. [c. 1200]
2. Be first or most prominent in some field or action, as in Our teacher led the way in finding new methods of teaching algebra. [Late 1600s]
See also: lead, way
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

lead the ˈway


1 go in front of somebody in order to show them the way: She led the way to the conference hall.
2 be the first to do or develop something: The United States was leading the way in space research. OPPOSITE: follow/go with the crowd
See also: lead, way
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

lead the way

1. To show a course or route by going in advance.
2. To be foremost in an endeavor or trend: The firm led the way in the application of new technology.
See also: lead, way
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition.
See also:
  • be ahead of (someone's or something's) time
  • be ahead of/before/in advance of your time
  • in the vicinity (of something)
  • be in advance of (someone's or something's) time
  • How are things going?
  • How're things going?
  • somewhere along the line
  • somewhere, etc. along/down the line
  • ahead of (someone's or something's) time
  • ahead of your/its time
References in periodicals archive
"In today's global economy, Americans are competing not just against each other but against their peers in countries like China and India," said Vince Bertram, Project Lead the Way's chief executive officer.
St. Peter-Marian leads on STEM
Project Lead the Way holds mandatory workshops for high school teachers who are going to teach the curriculum.
Shrewsbury High School is currently one of 26 schools in the state that use Lead the Way and many of those are technical or vocational schools.
In August, Project Lead the Way became one of six science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs officially endorsed by the state of Massachusetts.
Leading the way to explore engineering; Shrewsbury, WPI partner in program