lead-in

/ˈliːdɪn/

noun

An introduction; something that leads into the beginning of something.

“After the long lead-in, the climax of the story was a disappointment.”

Similar
prefacekickerprologueleadlede
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Meanings

nounlead-in (plural lead-ins)

plural lead-ins

  1. An introduction; something that leads into the beginning of something.

    After the long lead-in, the climax of the story was a disappointment.

    Synonyms: preface

  2. A region of data at the beginning of a compact disc, holding the table of contents.
  3. journalismA short phrase that begins the caption of a photograph.

    Synonyms: kicker

Synonyms & antonyms

nounAn introduction; something that leads into the beginning of something.

Similar
preface

nounA short phrase that begins the caption of a photograph.

Similar
kicker
Similar
prologue

More synonyms by meaning

nounthe introductory section of a story

Similar
leadlede
Broader
sectionsubdivision
Also see
introductionkickerleadlede

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

Deverbal from lead in.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian въведение
  • въведение (văvedenie)introduction
Czech úvod
  • úvodintroduction
Finnish johdanto
  • johdantointroduction
Hungarian felvezetés
  • felvezetésintroduction
Spanish introducción, prólogo
  • introducciónintroduction
  • prólogointroduction
  • entradillaintroduction
Cite this entry
APA

lead-in. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lead-in

MLA

“lead-in.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lead-in. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “lead-in,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lead-in.

Source: lead-in on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.