From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishlead somebody on phrasal verbto deceive someone, especially to make them think you love them He thought she loved him, but in fact she was just leading him on. → lead→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
lead on• I can't tell if he really cares about me or if he's just leading me on?• He was completely wrong to lead you on.• He was forced to retire from the race with a split oil tank while in the lead.• Together the two of them set out for Lamri, leading the goat on a length of rope.• One hot summer day Uncle Ted led the children on a rowing expedition over the bay to a distant island.• I didn't mean to lead Cassie on, but I didn't want to hurt her feelings either.• They sat on the floor, on the steps leading upstairs, on chairs, on the couch.• Ducklings at a similarly early stage in their lives also follow their mother as she leads them away on food-finding outings.• My platoon was the lead platoon on the extreme right.• The Raiders were clinging to a 14-13 lead, ball on their own 42, looking at third down and six inches. 