lead on en · VERB
Meanings
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(idiomatic, transitive) To mislead, to try to make someone believe a lie.
"But when I fell into the mistake I have so long remained in, at least you led me on?" said I. / "Yes," she returned, again nodding steadily, "I let you go on."
1860 December – 1861 August, Charles Dickens, chapter V, in Great Expectations […], volume III, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published October 1861, →OCLC, page 73:
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(idiomatic, in particular, transitive) To mislead, to try to make someone believe a lie. ▸ To encourage with the illusion of a romantic relationship.
I thought she really loved me but really she was just leading me on.
- Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see lead, on.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| leads on | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| led on | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| led on | Tense=Past | lexicographic | |
| leading on | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic |
Translations (7)
pl bajtlować (to mislead) · de falsche Hoffnungen machen (to encourage with the illusion of a romantic relationship) · pt iludir (to encourage with the illusion of a romantic relationship) · fi houkutella (to encourage with the illusion of a romantic relationship) · ru водить за нос (to encourage with the illusion of a romantic relationship) · pl zbajtlować (to mislead) · eo iluzii (to mislead)