0 the leader of a group of people who are doing something harmful or illegal:
1 the leader of a group of people who cause trouble or commit crimes
There is scope to suggest that the ringleaders were pragmatists, informed by history, and in step with the politics of the age.
Their planning was robust, and to the point, while the emotional power of revenge was channelled creatively by the ringleaders.
The ringleaders have been arrested and 10 of them have been deported.
He was not the instigator of it or the ringleader of it, although it was stated he was during the proceedings.
In the case of the ringleader, the sentence was 15 years' penal servitude and discharge with ignominy.
It has a duty to protect the public and to pursue the ringleaders of this iniquitous trade.
The ringleaders in the force have been punished.
One is the ringleader who gets three years, the other taking a relatively minor part gets 18 months.