leader

leader
lead‧er S2 W1 /ˈliːdə $ -ər/ noun [countable]1.  IN CONTROL the person who directs or controls a group, organization, country etc ⇨ ruler
    leader of
    the leader of the local black community
    party/union/government/opposition etc leader
    political/military/religious leader
    the largest ever gathering of world leaders (=people who are in charge of countries)
    natural/born leader (=someone who naturally has all the qualities needed to be a leader)
    His air of confidence makes him a natural leader.
2.  COMPETITION the person or group that is in front of all the others in a race or competition:
    County Championship leaders of Hampshire
3.  PRODUCT/COMPANY the product or company that is the best or most successful
    leader in
    a world leader in defence and space electronics
    These products are firmly established as the market leaders.
4.  NEWSPAPER British English a piece of writing in a newspaper giving the paper’s opinion on a subject
   SYN  editorial:
    The Times leader column
5.  MUSICIAN British English the main violin player in an orchestra
   SYN  concertmaster American English
6.  MUSICAL DIRECTOR American English someone who directs the playing of a musical group
   SYN  conductor British English
7.  TAPE technical the part at the beginning of a film or recording tape which has nothing on it
8.  BRANCH technical a long thin branch that grows from the stem of a bush or tree beyond other branches
     

COLLOCATIONS

■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + leader
   ▪ a political leader He became the country’s most influential political leader.
   ▪ a military leader The country’s military leader had seized power in a coup.
   ▪ a religious/spiritual leader The Pope is the Roman Catholics’ spiritual leader.
   ▪ a natural leader/a born leader (=someone who naturally has all the qualities needed to be a leader) He has the confidence of a born leader.
   ▪ a strong/weak leader She’s a strong leader and an intelligent woman.
   ▪ a good/effective leader What characteristics make a good leader?
   ▪ a charismatic leader (=who people greatly admire and want to follow) Martin Luther King, one of the most charismatic leaders of the Civil Rights movement
   ▪ a world leader (=someone who is in charge of a country) The president and other world leaders are meeting to discuss the environment.
   ▪ a party leader Brown was quickly chosen as the party leader.
   ▪ a government leader He was the first EU government leader to visit the newly elected US President.
   ▪ an opposition leader The opposition leader accused the government of not being able to control unemployment.
   ▪ the Conservative/Liberal Democrat/Socialist etc leader (=leader of a political party) the Conservative leader, David Cameron
   ▪ a union/business leader Business leaders welcomed a cut in the interest rate.
   ▪ a team/group/project etc leader Ask your team leader for advice.
■ verbs
   ▪ choose a leader/choose somebody as leader The party is meeting to choose a new leader.
   ▪ elect a leader/elect somebody as leader He was elected leader of his country by a huge majority.
   ▪ appoint a leader (=officially announce that someone is leader) Green was appointed deputy leader.
     

THESAURUS

   ▪ leader the person who directs or controls a group, organization, country etc: 12,000 party members will vote next week to elect a new leader. | leaders of developing nations from around the world
   ▪ ruler someone, such as a king or queen or a military leader, who has official power over a country or area: Sheik Mohamed, ruler of Dubai | Argentina’s former military rulers
   ▪ head of state someone who leads a country or state: Twenty-one heads of state will meet at the annual World Trade summit.
   ▪ figurehead someone who is seen as the leader of a country or organization, although he or she does not have any real power: the Queen’s role as a national figurehead | There are advantages in having a respected personality as a figurehead for the organisation.
   ▪ ringleader someone who leads a group that is doing something illegal or wrong: The alleged ringleaders of the gang have been arrested. | the ringleaders of the airplane bomb plot