ahead
Americanadverb
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in or to the front; in advance of; before.
Walk ahead of us.
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in a forward direction; onward; forward.
The line of cars moved ahead slowly.
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into or for the future.
Plan ahead.
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so as to register a later time.
to set the clock ahead.
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at or to a different time, either earlier or later.
to push a deadline ahead one day from Tuesday to Monday; to push a deadline ahead one day from Tuesday to Wednesday.
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onward toward success; to a more advantageous position; upward in station.
There's a young man who is sure to get ahead.
idioms
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ahead of,
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in front of; before.
He ran ahead of me.
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superior to; beyond.
materially ahead of other countries.
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in advance of; at an earlier time than.
We got there ahead of the other guests.
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be ahead,
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to be winning.
Our team is ahead by two runs.
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to be in a position of advantage; be benefiting.
His score in mathematics is poor, but he's ahead in foreign languages.
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adjective
adverb
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at or in the front; in advance; before
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onwards; forwards
go straight ahead
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in front of; at a further advanced position than
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stock exchange in anticipation of
the share price rose ahead of the annual figures
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informal to have an advantage; be winning
to be ahead on points
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to advance or attain success
Etymology
Origin of ahead
Explanation
When you're ahead, you're further along or further forward. If you're ahead of all the other runners in a race, you're winning. The team at the very front of a three-legged race is ahead, and the path that stretches in front of you as you walk through the woods is ahead of you. As well as signifying being physically first or in front, ahead can be used to talk about time: "She had her whole life ahead of her." The word was first used by sailors, to mean "in a forward direction."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Groves stunned the champion with a first-round knockdown and was ahead on all three scorecards before Froch fought back.
From BBC ● Nov. 10, 2026
Treasury yields rose ahead of inflation data from the Labor Department.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 10, 2026
Qantas Group added 17 new aircraft during the past financial year, and expected up to 31 more to arrive in the year ahead, according to financial results earlier this year.
From Barron's ● Nov. 10, 2026
Teachers, firefighters and other middle-class Californians became the face of their campaigns, fueling growing opposition ahead of election day.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 10, 2026
There was danger ahead; and Wolf longed to turn back, but he knew that he couldn’t.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
