lead up to
To set in motion; to act as a causal or preparatory event or sequence of events.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“These small tasks lead up to the final project.”
“The long arguments in the meeting led up to his sudden decision to quit the team.”
“The series of minor diplomatic disagreements led up to the formal declaration of war between the two neighboring nations.”
- 01
all roads lead to Rome
Different paths can take one to the same goal.
- 02
get the lead out
To go faster; to hurry up.
- 03
lead by the nose
To cause to follow blindly.
- 04
lead foot
A habit of driving fast.
- 05
lead nowhere
to have no purpose, to result in nothing.
- 06
lead on
To mislead, to try to make someone believe a lie.
- 07
lead someone to the altar
To get married to someone.
- 08
lead someone up the garden path
To deceive, hoodwink, mislead, or seduce someone.
Last updated August 10, 2026