leader

Definitions of Leader

1. (noun) An individual that guides or leads.
2. (noun) An individual in charge or in command of other people.
3. (noun) An individual with the power to influence others.

Examples of Leader

• The leader of a company, such as Elon Musk (born 1971), the Chief Executive Officer of SpaceX.
• The leader of an orchestra, such as Stan Kenton (1911–1979).

Leader Pronunciation

Pronunciation Usage Guide

Syllabification: lead·er

Audio Pronunciation

International Phonetic Alphabet

• American English – /ˈlidər/
• British English – /ˈliːdə/

Usage Notes

• Plural: leaders
• A type of individual.
• Types:
  • authoritarian leader
  • democratic leader
  • expressive leader
  • instrumental leader
  • laissez-faire leader
• A leader (verb) leads through (noun) leadership and the followers of leaders are (verb) led.

Related Video

Additional Information

• Word origin of “leader” – Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com

Related Terms

• expressive leader
• instrumental leader
• leadership function
• leadership style
• power
• role

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Works Consulted

Henslin, James M. 2012. Sociology: A Down-to-Earth Approach. 10th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Kimmel, Michael S., and Amy Aronson. 2012. Sociology Now. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Merriam-Webster. (N.d.) Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/).

Oxford University Press. (N.d.) Oxford Dictionaries. (https://www.oxforddictionaries.com/).

Stolley, Kathy S. 2005. The Basics of Sociology. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.

Tischler, Henry L. 2011. Introduction to Sociology. 10th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Wikipedia contributors. (N.d.) Wiktionary, The Free Dictionary. Wikimedia Foundation. (http://en.wiktionary.org).

Cite the Definition of Leader

ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “leader.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved January 20, 2025 (https://sociologydictionary.org/leader/).

APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)

leader. (2013). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/leader/

Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “leader.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed January 20, 2025. https://sociologydictionary.org/leader/.

MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)

“leader.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2013. Web. 20 Jan. 2025. <https://sociologydictionary.org/leader/>.