English Help Online's Blog

The phrasal verb I have for you this week is “lead on”. It is used when we want to say another person gives false hope to someone about a romantic relationship. For example:

I thought that girl really liked me, but she was just leading me on.

I was led on by that girl. (passive voice)

If you don’t want to be my boyfriend, just tell me now. Please don’t lead me on.

A: Have you ever been led on by someone?

B: Yes, I have. I dated a guy in university and I thought he was serious about me, but he wasn’t. I hate it when guys lead you on like that!

As I mentioned before, this expression is only used for romantic relationships; it can’t be used to talk about friendships or business relationships.

I hope none of you have ever been led on by someone.  🙂