leading light


Also found in: Thesaurus, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

leading light

n
1. an important or outstanding person, esp in an organization or cause
2. (Nautical Terms) nautical a less common term for range light
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

lead′ing light′

(ˈli dɪŋ)
n.
an important or influential person.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.leading light - a celebrity who is an inspiration to othersleading light - a celebrity who is an inspiration to others; "he was host to a large gathering of luminaries"
celebrity, famous person - a widely known person; "he was a baseball celebrity"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations

leading light

n (person) → personaggio di primo piano
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
References in classic literature ?
They were the leading lights to the Berande anchorage, and every night in the year they were so inspected and hung out.
LEADING LIGHT can deliver Aidan O'Brien a fourth victory in the Ladbrokes St Leger (3.50) by outrunning 10 rivals for the world's oldest Classic at Doncaster this afternoon.
This autumn, the O'Brien challenge - Leading Light is accompanied to post by neighbour Foundry - has been relatively low key as Excess Knowledge and Galileo Rock have duelled for favouritism in the run-up to the race.