Meaning & use
lead someone on
Last updated
Meanings
verbphrasal verbdisapproving
To make someone believe something that is untrue, especially that you are romantically interested in them or will do something for them.
Grammar: Takes an object, which a pronoun puts between the parts: lead him on, not lead on him.
Patterns
- lead someone on
- lead someone on about something
He led her on for months without ever meaning to date her.
I don't want to lead you on, so I'll be honest about how I feel.
The salesman led them on by promising a discount he could not give.
verbphrasal verb
To guide or encourage someone to continue going forward in a direction, often in a search or a journey.
Grammar: Takes an object and often a place or goal: she led the group on up the hill.
Patterns
- lead someone on
- lead someone on to something
The guide led the hikers on toward the summit.
A trail of footprints led them on into the forest.
The old map led the explorers on for another week.
Word forms
| third person singular | leads someone on |
|---|---|
| past tense | led someone on |
| past participle | led someone on |
| -ing form | leading someone on |
Common combinations
- lead someone on deliberately
- She felt he had deliberately led her on.
- accuse someone of leading them on
- He accused her of leading him on.
- stop leading someone on
- Stop leading her on and tell her the truth.
- not want to lead someone on
- I did not want to lead him on, so I ended it kindly.
Synonyms and how they differ
- mislead
- Mislead is a more general and formal word for giving someone a wrong idea, while lead on often suggests romantic or hopeful false expectations.
- string along
- String along suggests keeping someone waiting over a long time, whereas lead on can describe a shorter deception.
- deceive
- Deceive is stronger and covers any kind of lying, while lead on usually means giving false hope without telling an outright lie.
Opposites
Word family
- lead verb
- to guide or go in front
- leader noun
- a person who leads
- misleading adjective
- giving a wrong impression
Commonly confused: lead someone on or lead to?
lead someone on vs lead to
Lead to means to cause or result in something, while lead someone on means to deceive or guide someone.
Practice
She realized he had been ___ for months, never planning to commit.
Choose one answer.
Lead someone on means to give false hope. With a pronoun the object must come before on, so leading on her is wrong.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “lead someone on”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.