Outlead
noun, verb ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 An electrical lead for outward-going current.
"A thermocouple at the outlead of the photocathode just near the envelope of the photomultiplier measured the temperature of 100 ° K about 30 min after starting to cool it."
- 1 To lead out. archaic
"So he came down from his tower and called his knights. Lordings, —he said — to arms; the Emperour Divoun beleaguers us within our walls. Now let us make three sallies brave and sure. The first I will outlead myself."
- 2 To exceed in leadership. transitive
"If anyone can outlead as leader, I hope he will outlead as leader, but my conversation was with those gentlemen who by their positions are entitled to participate in directing the affairs of the House."
- 3 To bring about; to encourage.
"This is an Education which consists in the outleading of the blackguardizing, pauperizing, vagrant-like, and theftuous elements of the mentality, entirely withdrawn, and apart from any moral guidance, any elevating tendency, any ameliorating influence, nay, directly under the direction of the demoralized and the abandoned."
- 4 To exceed in leading; to maintain a strong lead ahead of; to outcompete. transitive
"On, on, in never-ending race, Behind the billows vainly chase; Both wave and wind with all their speed The barge doth thrice in flight outlead."
Example
More examples"So he came down from his tower and called his knights. Lordings, —he said — to arms; the Emperour Divoun beleaguers us within our walls. Now let us make three sallies brave and sure. The first I will outlead myself."
Etymology
From Middle English outleden (“to lead out”), from Old English ūtlǣdan (“to lead or bring out”), from ūt- (“out”) + lǣdan (“to lead”). Equivalent to out- + lead.
From out- (“beyond, surpassing”) + lead.
Related phrases
More for "outlead"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.