This is the 7901st most frequent Chinese word.
领先
"领先" means "to lead" or "to be ahead."
Here, '领先' is used as an adjective meaning 'in a leading position', describing the company's status.
该公司在行业中一直处于领先地位。
The company has always been in a leading position in the industry.
In this sentence, '领先' is used as a verb meaning 'to lead', expressing the action of being ahead.
他在比赛中遥遥领先于其他选手。
He is far ahead of the other contestants in the competition.
Here, '领先者' uses '领先' as a verb to derive the noun 'leader', referring to the person who is leading.