leading light
nounDefinition of leading light
: a prominent and influential member (as of a community or church)
Examples of leading light in a Sentence
He is one of the leading lights of the labor movement.
Recent Examples on the Web
His daring speeches at the anti-communist demonstrations sweeping Hungary quickly made him one of the leading lights of Fidesz, then a liberal student movement. — The Economist, "How Viktor Orban hollowed out Hungary’s democracy," 29 Aug. 2019 New Zealand has become a leading light in the struggle against the forces of hate and fear that threaten to pull our world apart. — Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, "New Zealand's Power of Inclusion Summit Unveils More Speakers," 8 Aug. 2019 The Frenchman, however, proved to be one of Wenger's most sensational pieces of businesses - becoming a leading light at Highbury as Arsenal became one of the most exciting teams around the world to watch. — SI.com, "Arsene Wenger: The Legendary Arsenal Manager's Greatest XI," 8 July 2019 Not about collusion, Russian interference or obstruction of justice, but about the leading lights of journalism who managed to get the story so wrong, and for so long. — Sean Davis, WSJ, "A Catastrophic Media Failure," 25 Mar. 2019 But behind the showman’s bravado is a connoisseur of design’s leading lights. — Erik Maza, Town & Country, "Alan Faena Built the Ultimate Shopping Bazaar for Design Snobs," 26 Mar. 2019 Takuya Matsumoto and Tatsu Aikawa, chefs and business partners who opened Kemuri Tatsu-ya last year, are the leading lights of this new hybrid cuisine. — Brett Anderson, New York Times, "Tokyo in Texas: Distinctive Japanese Food Is Thriving in Austin," 30 Apr. 2018 On July 1, 1987, Ted Kennedy, then a senator and a leading light within the Democratic Party, took to the Senate floor to denounce Robert Bork, whom Ronald Reagan had just nominated for the Supreme Court. — Jane Coaston, Vox, "“Borking,” explained: why a failed Supreme Court nomination in 1987 matters," 26 Sep. 2018 Newspapers emblazon the faces of and headlines about the leading lights all over the front pages, and deliver blanket coverage in the sports sections at the back. — Martin Rogers, USA TODAY, "England's World Cup run is magical but the fans need to chill out," 7 July 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'leading light.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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