Meaning & use
leading position
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Meanings
phrasecountable
The state of being ahead of all others in a competition, market, or activity.
Grammar: Often used with 'in' or 'of': a leading position in the market.
Patterns
- a leading position in something
- maintain a leading position
- take a leading position
The company has a leading position in the smartphone market.
After the first lap, she held a leading position in the race.
They are working hard to keep their leading position in the industry.
phrasecountable
The most important or front-ranked place in a group or organization.
Grammar: Often used with 'take' or 'hold': take a leading position in the team.
Patterns
- take a leading position
- hold a leading position
- a leading position in something
He took a leading position in the project team.
The country holds a leading position in renewable energy research.
She was offered a leading position in the new department.
Common combinations
- maintain a leading position
- The brand has maintained its leading position for over a decade.
- secure a leading position
- The team secured a leading position after winning three games in a row.
- a leading position in the market
- They have a leading position in the market for electric cars.
- lose a leading position
- The runner lost her leading position after a fall.
Synonyms and how they differ
- top spot
- Informal; often used in sports and rankings, e.g., 'She took the top spot.'
- first place
- More specific to competitions; focuses on ranking rather than overall dominance.
- dominance
- Stronger; suggests control or superiority, not just being ahead.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: leading position or leading role? leading position or leading question?
leading position vs leading role
Means the main part in a play or film, not a position of being ahead.
leading position vs leading question
A question that suggests the answer you want, not a position of advantage.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'leading position' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Option B correctly uses 'leading position' to mean being ahead in an industry. Option An is wrong because 'leading position' is not used for a physical queue. Option C is wrong because 'gave' does not collocate with 'position'. Option D is grammatically incorrect; it should be 'They are in a leading position' or 'They have a leading position'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “leading position”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.