ringleader


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ring·lead·er

 (rĭng′lē′dər)
n.
A person who leads others, especially in illicit or informal activities.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

ringleader

(ˈrɪŋˌliːdə)
n
a person who leads others in any kind of unlawful or mischievous activity
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ring•lead•er

(ˈrɪŋˌli dər)

n.
a person who leads others, esp. in unlawful or rebellious activities.
[1495–1505]
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.ringleader - a person who leads (especially in illicit activities)
inciter, instigant, instigator, provoker, firebrand - someone who deliberately foments trouble; "she was the instigator of their quarrel"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations
زَعيم عِصابَه
vůdce
ringleder
fõkolompos
forsprakki
çete reisielebaşı

ringleader

[ˈrɪŋˌliːdəʳ] Ncabecilla mf
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

ringleader

[ˈrɪŋliːdər] nchef mf, meneur/euse m/f
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

ringleader

nAnführer(in) m(f)
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

ringleader

[ˈrɪŋˌliːdəʳ] n (of gang) → capobanda m/f
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

ring1

(riŋ) noun
1. a small circle eg of gold or silver, sometimes having a jewel set in it, worn on the finger. a wedding ring; She wears a diamond ring.
2. a circle of metal, wood etc for any of various purposes. a scarf-ring; a key-ring; The trap-door had a ring attached for lifting it.
3. anything which is like a circle in shape. The children formed a ring round their teacher; The hot teapot left a ring on the polished table.
4. an enclosed space for boxing matches, circus performances etc. the circus-ring; The crowd cheered as the boxer entered the ring.
5. a small group of people formed for business or criminal purposes. a drugs ring.
verbpast tense, past participle ringed
verb .
1. to form a ring round.
2. to put, draw etc a ring round (something). He has ringed all your errors.
3. to put a ring on the leg of (a bird) as a means of identifying it.
ˈring binder noun
a looseleaf binder; a stiff cardboard file with metal rings inside for holding loose pages together.
ˈringlet (-lit) noun
a long curl of hair.
ˈring finger noun
the finger on which the wedding ring is worn (usually the third finger of the left hand).
ˈringleader noun
the leader of a group of people who are doing something wrong. The teacher punished the ring-leader.
ˈringmaster noun
a person who is in charge of performances in a circus ring.
run rings round
to be very much better at doing something than; to beat easily.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
References in classic literature ?
Barnaby Rudge and Mrs Rudge are in it likewise; but the villain, Joseph Willet, is the ringleader. Their plottings and schemes are known to me and Miggs.
"Will you promise not to touch us, if we do?" demanded their ringleader.
None of them liked Snipes, and this disagreeable show of authority since he had murdered King, the real head and ringleader of the mutineers, had only added fuel to the flames of their hatred.
I was second to none of the company in any acts of debauchery; nay, I soon distinguished myself so notably in all riots and disorders, that my name generally stood first in the roll of delinquents; and instead of being lamented as the unfortunate pupil of Sir George, I was now accused as the person who had misled and debauched that hopeful young gentleman; for though he was the ringleader and promoter of all the mischief, he was never so considered.
Bunyan tells us that he swore and told lies and that he was the ringleader in all the wickedness of the village.
Now, of the two men, it is clear that the one who wrote the 'at' and 'to' was the ringleader."
They had not been long in that posture when the boatswain, who was the principal ringleader of the mutiny, and had now shown himself the most dejected and dispirited of all the rest, came walking towards them, with two more of the crew; the captain was so eager at having this principal rogue so much in his power, that he could hardly have patience to let him come so near as to be sure of him, for they only heard his tongue before: but when they came nearer, the captain and Friday, starting up on their feet, let fly at them.
But the colonel ordered six of the ringleaders to be seized, and thought no punishment so proper as to deliver them bound into my hands; which some of his soldiers accordingly did, pushing them forward with the butt-ends of their pikes into my reach.
Comminges had arrested one of the ringleaders and had ordered him to be hanged near the cross of Du Trahoir; but in attempting to execute this command the soldiery were attacked in the market-place with stones and halberds; the delinquent had escaped to the Rue des Lombards and rushed into a house.
In one place one hears of a student's robbing the mail on the high road; in another place people of good social position forge false banknotes; in Moscow of late a whole gang has been captured who used to forge lottery tickets, and one of the ringleaders was a lecturer in universal history; then our secretary abroad was murdered from some obscure motive of gain.
Antinous and Eurymachus, who were their ringleaders and much the foremost among them all, were sitting together when Noemon son of Phronius came up and said to Antinous,
They couldn't help, on the whole, being glad that they had so acted, and that the resistance had been successful against such of their own form as had shown fight; they felt that law and order had gained thereby, but the ringleaders they couldn't quite pardon at once.