Went ahead (3)
I believe the answer is:
led
<span class="explanation-format__ClueExplanation">'<span class="explanation-format__original">went ahead</span>' is the definition.<br/ ><span class="explanation-format__explanation">(led the way)</span><br/ ><br/ >This is the entire clue.<br/ ></span>
(Other definitions for led that I've seen before include "associated with Zeppelin" , "Something emitting light" , "Influenced" , "Went in advance of others" , "Light-emitting diode (abbr.)" .)