Synonyms

lead up to

British

/ liːd /

verb

to act as a preliminary or introduction to
to approach (a topic) gradually or cautiously

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

lead up to Idioms

Prepare gradually for, result in gradually, as in These events clearly led up to the coup, or His remarks led up to the main point of the speech, that he was going to resign next year. [Mid-1800s]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

That result during the critical lead up to Christmas led the maker of Barbie dolls and Hot Wheels cars to post sales and profit below Wall Street expectations in the fourth quarter.

From The Wall Street Journal

"There will also need to be training on all relevant aspects of the research protocol, including preparatory work in the lead up to a young person being considered eligible for puberty blockers."

From BBC

In 1945, he served in the Pacific in the lead up to Japan's surrender.

From BBC

In the lead up to the Super Bowl, boosters of traditional sportsbooks have been denigrating prediction markets.

From Barron's

In addition to displaying the spectacular ice-dancing by all during the various Grand Prix competitions that lead up to the Olympics, “Glitter & Gold” provides some genuine insight into the minds and politics behind the sport’s highest level of competition.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023