advance

American  

[ad-vans, -vahns] / ædˈvæns, -ˈvɑns /

verb (used with object)

• advances,
  present (3rd person singular)
• advanced,
  past participle,  past
• advancing
  present participle

1. to move or bring forward.

   The general advanced his troops to the new position.

   Antonyms:

   withdraw

2. to bring into consideration or notice; suggest; propose.

   to advance reasons for a tax cut.

   Synonyms:

   offer, propound, adduce

   Antonyms:

   withdraw

3. to improve; further.

   to advance one's interests.

   Synonyms:

   promote, forward

4. to raise in rank; promote.

   The board of directors advanced him to president.

5. to raise in rate or amount; increase.

   to advance the price.

6. to bring forward in time; accelerate.

   to advance growth;

   to advance clocks one hour.

   Synonyms:

   speed up, hasten, quicken, force

7. to supply beforehand; furnish on credit or before goods are delivered or work is done.

8. to furnish as part of a stock or fund.

9. to supply or pay in expectation of reimbursement.

   They advanced her $5000 against future royalties.

   Synonyms:

   loan, lend

10. to schedule at a later time or date.

    to advance a meeting from early to late fall.

11. Informal. to do advance publicity for.

    to advance a rock singer's personal appearances;

    the most heavily advanced sports event in history.

12. Archaic. to raise, as a banner.

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verb (used without object)

• advances,
  present (3rd person singular)
• advanced,
  past participle,  past
• advancing
  present participle

1. to move or go forward; proceed.

   The troops advanced.

   Antonyms:

   retreat

2. to increase in quantity, value, price, etc..

   His stock advanced three points.

3. (of a color, form, etc., on a flat surface) to move toward or be perceived as moving toward an observer, especially as giving the illusion of space.

4. to improve or make progress.

   Synonyms:

   flourish, thrive, prosper

5. to grow or rise in importance, status, etc..

   to advance in rank.

   Antonyms:

   decrease

6. Informal. to provide publicity; do promotion.

   He was hired to advance for a best-selling author.

noun

• advances
  plural

1. a forward movement; progress in space.

   the advance of the troops to the border.

2. promotion; improvement in importance, rank, etc..

   his advance to the position of treasurer.

   Synonyms:

   advancement, growth

3. Usually advances.

   1. attempts at forming an acquaintanceship, reaching an agreement, or the like, made by one party.

   2. actions or words intended to be sexually inviting.

   Synonyms:

   tender, offer, proposal, overture

4. addition to price; rise in price.

   an advance on cottons.

5. Commerce.

   1. a giving beforehand; a furnishing of something before an equivalent is received.

      An advance on his next month's salary permitted him to pay his debt on time.

   2. the money or goods thus furnished.

      He received $100 as an advance against future delivery.

6. Journalism.

   1. copy prepared before the event it describes has occurred.

      The morning papers carried advances on the ceremony, which will take place tonight.

   2. a press release, wire-service dispatch, or the like, as one containing the text or partial text of a speech, sent to arrive in advance of the event to which it is related.

7. the leading body of an army.

   Synonyms:

   spearhead, van, vanguard, advance guard

8. Military. (formerly) the order or a signal to advance.

9. Informal.

   1. publicity done before the appearance of a noted person, a public event, etc..

      She was hired to do advance for the candidate.

   2. a person hired to do advance publicity for an event.

      He is regarded as the best advance in the business.

10. Automotive, Machinery. an adjustment made in the setting of the distributor of an internal-combustion engine to generate the spark for ignition in each cylinder earlier in the cycle.

11. Geology. a seaward movement of the shoreline.

adjective

1. going or placed before.

   an advance section of a train.

2. made or given ahead of time.

   an advance payment on a loan.

3. issued ahead of time.

   an advance copy of the president's speech.

4. having gone beyond others or beyond the average.

idioms

1. in advance of, in front of; before.

   Heralds walked in advance of the king.

2. in advance, ahead of time; beforehand.

   You must get your tickets in advance.

advance British  

/ ədˈvɑːns /

verb

1. to go or bring forward in position

2. (foll by on) to move (towards) in a threatening manner

3. (tr) to present for consideration; suggest

4. to bring or be brought to a further stage of development; improve; further

5. (tr) to cause (an event) to occur earlier

6. (tr) to supply (money, goods, etc) beforehand, either for a loan or as an initial payment

7. to increase (a price, value, rate of occurrence, etc) or (of a price, etc) to be increased

8. (intr) to improve one's position; be promoted

   he advanced rapidly in his job

9. archaic (tr) to promote in rank, status, or position

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noun

1. forward movement; progress in time or space

2. improvement; progress in development

3. commerce

   1. the supplying of commodities or funds before receipt of an agreed consideration

   2. the commodities or funds supplied in this manner

   3. ( as modifier )

      an advance supply

4. Also called: advance payment. a money payment made before it is legally due

   this is an advance on your salary

5. a loan of money

6. an increase in price, value, rate of occurrence, etc

7. a less common word for advancement

8. 1. beforehand

      payment in advance

   2. (foll by of) ahead in time or development

      ideas in advance of the time

9. (modifier) forward in position or time

   advance booking

   an advance warning

advance More Idioms  

1. see in advance; make advances.

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Synonym Usage

Advance, move on, proceed all imply movement forward. Advance applies to forward movement, especially toward an objective: to advance to a platform. Proceed emphasizes movement, as from one place to another, and often implies continuing after a halt: to proceed on one's journey. Move on is similar in meaning to proceed; it does not, however, imply a definite goal: The crowd was told to move on.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• advancer
  noun
• overadvance
  verb
• unadvancing
  adjective
• advancingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• advances
  plural

Participles

• advancing
  present
• advanced
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• advance
  simple
• advances
  simple
• have advanced
  perfect
• has advanced
  perfect
• am advancing
  progressive
• are advancing
  progressive
• is advancing
  progressive
• have been advancing
  perfect progressive
• has been advancing
  perfect progressive

Past

• advanced
  simple
• had advanced
  perfect
• was advancing
  progressive
• were advancing
  progressive
• had been advancing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will advance
  simple
• will have advanced
  perfect
• will be advancing
  progressive
• will have been advancing
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of advance

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English avauncen, from Anglo-French, Old French avanc(i)er, from Vulgar Latin abantiāre (unrecorded), verb derived from Late Latin abante “in front (of ),” from Latin ab “away from, off” + ante “before”; ad- by mistaking a- for a- ⁵ in the 16th century

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Explanation

The experience of having a wild monkey advance on you is pretty scary. The verb advance means "move forward purposefully." When you move forward, you advance. You can advance a chess piece on a board, advance toward someone across a room, or observe an army as it advances into a country. Advance also means "make progress," as when you advance your knowledge of Spanish by traveling to Ecuador, or "to loan money," which a bank does by making an advance of a thousand dollars. Since the 1700s, to make advances has also meant to make romantic overtures or to flirt.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

advance advances advanced advancing

Data centers has been met with opposition from local communities following increases in consumer utility bills that have left many residents feeling powerless over AI’s advance.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 8, 2026

None of them had been informed in advance of the decision to cancel the show, they said, although two had contributed to the review.

From BBC ● Nov. 7, 2026

After training, he was initially assigned as a driver, but in November he was dispatched to the eastern bank of the Oskil River, where the Russians were seeking to advance on Kupyansk.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

Lin, who is also a professor in the university's College of Arts and Science, credits Mizzou's collaborative research environment with helping advance discoveries like these.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 6, 2026

Thorn and Seven had been reading the advance copy Valley had snuck into Seven’s backpack together any chance they got.

From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega

They believe that future advances in controlling electrons at the space-time limit may ultimately depend more on human creativity than on the constraints imposed by nature.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 7, 2026

Despite Buatsi's advances late on, Hutchinson held out to become world champion for the first time.

From BBC ● Nov. 7, 2026

After two decades of gradual rehabilitation and veterinary care advances, the rescued turtle has been released back into the ocean.

From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026

If scientists can identify and develop suitable materials, including altermagnets, this approach could lead to major advances in technologies ranging from wireless communication to quantum computing.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 4, 2026

The shutter advances softly, repeatedly; the room is bathed in rich afternoon light.

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri

To ensure sustainable operations, "our data centre facilities must deploy a combination of advanced engineering, efficient architectural designs, and renewable energy sourcing," it said.

From Barron's ● Nov. 8, 2026

In recent games, Kovac has employed Bellingham in a more advanced role, as one of the two number 10s behind the striker.

From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026

The ability to precisely modify metal centers could eventually lead to advanced glass components designed for specific technological purposes.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 5, 2026

“Basic black lung diagnoses had doubled in a decade. The advanced disease, PMF, had quadrupled since the 1980s.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026

Advanced: This game can be further developed for older or more advanced children.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

Moderna, best known for advancing mRNA technology, raised its revenue outlook for the year, saying it now expects revenue to grow as much as 25% in 2026.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026

And in two other districts, Black women Democratic candidates are maintaining narrow leads and advancing to runoff elections next month.

From Slate ● Nov. 5, 2026

"North Korea's belief that independently advancing its nuclear arsenal, regardless of changes in US administrations or political parties, was the right and strategically sound decision will be further reinforced," Lim said.

From Barron's ● Nov. 5, 2026

For his supporters, Lula is a working-class hero credited with advancing workers' rights through organising strikes and lifting millions of people out of poverty with generous social welfare programmes as president.

From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026

With enemy forces advancing, the Joint Chiefs requested permission to broaden the mission from merely guarding the base to engaging in what was described as “limited offensive operations.”

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin

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Related Words

• advancement
• boost
• breakthrough
• development
• gain
• growth
• increase
• progress
• rise
• step

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