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Meaning & use

to lead someone on

verb·Everydaydisapproving

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UK/tuː ˌliːd sʌmwʌn ˈɒn/
US/tuː ˌliːd sʌmwʌn ˈɑːn/
Usage warning: this word is disapproving. It shows a negative opinion, so take care with who and what you use it about.

Meanings

  1. verbtransitivedisapproving

    to encourage someone to believe you are romantically interested when you are not

    Grammar: Takes an object: lead someone on. The object comes between 'lead' and 'on'.

    Patterns

    • lead someone on
    • lead a person on

    He kept buying her gifts, but he was just leading her on.

    Stop leading him on if you don't want to date him.

  2. verbtransitivedisapproving

    to make someone believe something that is not true, often to get an advantage

    Grammar: Takes an object: lead someone on. Often used about business or deals.

    Patterns

    • lead someone on
    • lead a group on

    The salesman led us on with promises of a big discount.

    Don't let them lead you on about the job.

Word forms

third person singularleads someone on
past tenseled someone on
past participleled someone on
-ing formleading someone on

Common combinations

lead someone on about something
She led him on about her feelings.
accuse someone of leading someone on
He accused her of leading him on.
feel led on
I felt led on after our third date.
keep leading someone on
He kept leading her on for months.

Synonyms and how they differ

string along
Very similar, but often suggests keeping someone waiting for a long time; 'lead on' is more about false romantic hope.
mislead
More general: it means giving wrong information, not necessarily about romance.
deceive
Stronger and more formal; it means making someone believe something completely false.

Opposites

be honest withcome clean

Word family

lead on phrasal verb
The base form; same meaning.

Commonly confused: to lead someone on or lead on to?

to lead someone on vs lead on to

Means 'to result in' or 'to cause something to happen later'. 'Lead someone on' is about deceiving a person.

Practice

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