INDEX:
1. the leader of a group or country
2. to be the leader
RELATED WORDS
see also
↑ MANAGER
↑ POSITION/RANK
↑ IN CHARGE OF
↑ POWER/POWERFUL
↑ GOVERNMENT
◆◆◆
1. the leader of a group or country
▷ leader /ˈliːdəʳ/ [countable noun]
someone who is in charge of a group of people, or someone who they have chosen to represent them :
▪ The report has raised strong opposition from radical black leaders.
▪ 12,000 party members will vote next week to elect a new leader.
leader of
▪ the leader of the Communist party
▪ The leaders of the rebel movement have been arrested.
world leader
the leader of a major country
▪ World leaders are meeting in Geneva today to consider the peace plan.
union/party/community etc leader
▪ To function effectively, a party leader has to be attentive to people’s needs.
▪ So far, business leaders have been encouraged by the government’s economic policy.
gang leader
▪ Three members of the ‘Hells Angels’ group were convicted of the murder of a rival gang leader.
born leader
someone who is naturally very good at being a leader
▪ Peter was a born leader, and his chairmanship of the WWF could not have been more effective.
leader of the opposition
the leader of the group of people in a parliament who are not part of the government, and who argue against it
▪ The leader of the opposition has demanded an early election.
▷ leadership /ˈliːdəʳʃɪp/ []
the people in charge of a political party or country :
▪ Party members had lost confidence in the leadership.
▪ Turkey has lacked any clear leadership since the collapse of the coalition government four months ago.
leadership of
▪ The leadership of the Association was criticized for not making its plans more easily accessible.
▷ president /ˈprezɪd ə nt, ˈprezəd ə nt/ [countable noun]
the official leader of a country that does not have a king or queen :
▪ President Chirac visited Japan this week.
▪ It was Dever’s job to advise the president on his public image.
president of
▪ the President of Egypt
presidential /ˌprezɪˈdenʃ ə l◂, ˌprezəˈdenʃ ə l◂/ [adjective only before noun]
▪ a presidential election
▪ the 2004 presidential campaign
▷ head of state /ˌhed əv ˈsteɪt/ [countable noun]
someone who leads a country or state :
▪ President Clinton was the first head of state to sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.
▪ Twenty-one heads of state will meet at the annual World Trade summit.
▷ prime minister /praɪm ˈmɪnə̇stəʳ/ [countable noun]
the elected leader of the government in a country that has a parliament :
▪ The British Prime Minister lives at 10 Downing Street.
▪ Hashimoto was elected prime minister in 1998.
prime minister of
▪ the Prime Minister of India
▷ ruler /ˈruːləʳ/ [countable noun]
someone, such as a king or queen or a military leader, who has the power to run the government of a country :
▪ King Priam was a firm, but just ruler.
ruler of
▪ Ramses II, ruler of Egypt in 13,000 BC
hereditary ruler
the son or daughter of a ruler, who becomes the new ruler when that parent dies
▪ Some regimes are governed by hereditary rulers.
▷ king /kɪŋ/ [countable noun]
a man who is the official leader of a country because he is a member of a royal family :
▪ a portrait of King George VI
king of
▪ King Juan Carlos of Spain
▪ the King of Morocco
▷ queen /kwiːn/ [countable noun]
a woman who is the official leader of a country because she is a member of a royal family, or a woman who is the wife of a king :
▪ a new biography of Queen Elizabeth
queen of
▪ the Queen of Sweden
▪ the King and Queen of Belgium
▷ figurehead /ˈfɪgəhedǁˈfɪgjər-/ [countable noun usually singular]
use this to describe someone who is recognized as the leader of a country or organization, although he or she does not have any real power :
▪ The president is essentially a figurehead: the real power lies with the prime minister.
▪ He was never more than a mere figurehead in the negotiations.
2. to be the leader
▷ be the leader (of something) /biː ðə ˈliːdər (əv something )/ [verb phrase]
▪ Margaret Haley was the leader of the Chicago Teachers’ Federation.
▪ Dang was born, raised and schooled to be a future leader of his country.
▪ Ken, who was two years older than I, was our leader.
▪ Karekin is the spiritual leader of more than 6 million Armenians worldwide.
▷ lead /liːd/ [transitive verb not usually in progressive]
to be in charge of an organization, especially a political party, or to be in charge of a country :
▪ For many years, India’s Congress Party was led by Mrs Indira Gandhi.
▪ Jaruzelski led the country’s Communist regime for nine years.
▪ 67% of voters said they would not trust him to lead the country.
▷ leadership /ˈliːdəʳʃɪp/ [uncountable noun]
someone’s leadership is their ability to lead people :
▪ His forceful personality concealed his weak leadership and poor political acumen.
▪ We want to identify employees who have leadership potential.
under somebody’s leadership/under the leadership of
▪ The marketing department was much more focused under his leadership.
▪ Harvard has a formidable team of black academics, working under the leadership of Henry Louis Gates.
leadership style
the way that someone behaves as a leader
▪ He took office in January and quickly established his leadership style.
▷ be fronted by /biː ˈfrʌntə̇d baɪ/ [verb phrase]
if an organization is fronted by a particular person, they are the leader of that organization and often appear in public to represent that organization :
▪ The organization is fronted by Keith Flynn, who has been associated with other political groups in the past.
▷ rule /ruːl/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to be the leader of a country - use this about kings, queens, and other leaders who are not elected :
▪ Henry VIII ruled England from 1509 to 1547.
▪ Mary, Queen of Scots, only ruled for six years.
▪ At that time, Persia was divided into several provinces, ruled by local khans.