lead up to the grand finale

/liːd ʌp tə ðə ɡrænd fɪˈnɑːli/

verb phrase

  1. To develop or happen gradually before and prepare the audience for the final, most exciting part of an event or performance.

    B1

    lead up to + noun

    • "The opening acts led up to the grand finale."B1
    • "All the celebrations during the week led up to the grand finale on Saturday night."B2
    • "The film's increasingly tense scenes lead up to the grand finale, where the mystery is finally solved."C1
    • "Each chapter of the book leads up to the grand finale, keeping readers on the edge of their seats."B2

Common mistakes

  • lead up the grand finale→lead up to the grand finale

    The phrasal verb is lead up to, so it requires to before the event.

Collocations

build up to the grand finalethe grand finaleexciting finalebuild up toclimaxhighlight