lead up to sth
— phrasal verb with lead uk/liːd/us/liːd/verb led, led uk/led/us
(HAPPEN)
C2 If a period of time or series of events leads up to an event or activity, it happens until that event or activity begins:
The pilot had no recollection of the events leading up to the crash.
More examples
- I was very anxious in the time leading up to the event.
- The moments leading up to the accident are very confused in my mind.
- What exactly led up to his resignation?
- They documented all the events leading up to the massacre.
- I was ill in the period leading up to the election.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Preceding and introducing
- announce
- antedate
- beat
- build-up
- countdown
- curtain-raiser
- emcee
- forerunner
- introduce
- introduction
- introductory
- lead 1
- lead-in
- open the door to sth idiom 1
- preamble
- predecessor
- preface
- preliminary
- prelude
- usher
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(TALK)
to prepare to talk about something by gradually mentioning the subject you want to talk about:
He started telling me about a wonderful new restaurant he'd been to and I wondered what he was leading up to.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Preparing
- batten
- batten down the hatches idiom
- break sb in
- build-up
- calibrate
- draw
- forewarn
- gear
- gird
- gird yourself idiom
- groundwork
- homework
- lay the basis/foundations for sth idiom
- preparation
- roll
- steel
- suit
- suit up
- work (yourself) up to sth
- work your way around to sth idiom
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