market leader

IPA/ˌmɑːkɪt ˈliːdə(r)/
IPA/ˌmɑːrkɪt ˈliːdər/

market leader — noun

1. a company that sells more of a particular product or service than any other comp

1.nounB2
Definition

a company that sells more of a particular product or service than any other company in the same market

Example

After winning several large contracts, EcoBrew became the market leader in household water filters.

be the market leader in [product category]

A 2024 industry report showed GreenCharge remained the market leader for electric scooters in Asia.

Common collocations
  • be / become the market leader
  • remain the market leader
  • overtake the market leader
  • market leader in [category]
  • market leader for [product]
Synonyms
  • industry leader

    broader — can refer to innovation or quality, not just sales volume

  • top brand

    focuses on brand recognition and reputation, not necessarily on having the biggest sales

  • front-runner

    often used while a competition is still ongoing, not only after the final ranking is known

Antonyms
  • market follower

    a company with a much smaller share that imitates the market leader's approach

Grammar Patterns

be the market leader in [product category or region]

Common Mistakes

Apple is the market leader of smartphones.
Apple is the market leader in smartphones.
Use 'in' rather than 'of' after 'market leader' to specify the product category.

2. a product that sells in larger quantities than any other product of the same typ

2.nounB2
Definition

a product that sells in larger quantities than any other product of the same type in a given market

Example

The Galaxy Tab Pro was the market leader among tablets priced under $500 for two years.

be the market leader among [group]

One energy drink has held the position of market leader in Japan since 2018.

Common collocations
  • be / become the market leader
  • hold the position of market leader
  • market leader among [products or price points]
  • market leader in [category or region]
Synonyms
  • top seller

    more informal; commonly used in retail and consumer contexts

  • best-seller

    originally for books but now used for any product that sells extremely well

  • top performer

    can refer to sales performance or to technical performance, so context is needed

Grammar Patterns

be the market leader among [group]

be the market leader in [price range or region]

Usage Note

This sense describes a specific product, not a company. A company can sell many products, but only one of them may be the market leader in its category.

Common Mistakes

This phone brand is the market leader of China.' (ambiguous — brand or phone?)
This phone is the market leader in China.
Use 'market leader' for a specific product when you mean the best-selling product, not the company.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four terms relate to a company's position in a market, but they differ in what they emphasise. "Industry leader" is the broadest — it often includes innovation, quality, and reputation, not just sales. "Top brand" focuses on consumer recognition and trust; a company can be a top brand without being the market leader in sales. "Front-runner" is used while a race is still underway; a front-runner leads at a certain point but may not finish first. "Market follower" is the opposite — a company that deliberately copies the market leader rather than innovating. For example, Samsung is the market leader in global smartphone shipments, but Apple is often seen as the industry leader in premium devices, and Xiaomi was once a front-runner in India before losing ground.

industry leadertop brandfront-runner ↗market follower

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • market leader in [category]
  • market leader for [product]
  • market leader among [group]
  • overtake the market leader
  • remain the market leader
  • hold the position of market leader

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld EnglishEnglish

The compound noun 'market leader' combines 'market' (from Latin mercatus, meaning 'trading place') and 'leader' (from Old English lædan, meaning 'to guide'). The business sense of a company or product that leads a market in sales became common in the late 20th century alongside modern marketing and competitive analysis. The term is widely used in business reporting, strategy, and academic marketing literature.