Meanings
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1
noun
a person who leads (especially in illicit activities)
The ringleader urged the crowd toward the gate.
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2
noun
A leader of a group of people, especially an unofficial group.
Once, on a confident whim, I approached the group of popular girls in an attempt to broaden my circle. Their ringleader took one glance at my new Aeropostale T-shirt and whispered to her clones, “Yeah, Aero's definitely out now.”
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3
noun
A person who starts and leads a disturbance (such as a riot), a conspiracy, or a criminal gang.
The police arrested the ringleaders of the smuggling operation.
Thesaurus
Word family
Forms
ringleaders
Derived forms
ringleadership
Etymology
From ring + leader.