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.
Martin, who is part of the Route 66 Road Ahead Partnership, is president of the Oklahoma Route 66 Assn., and serves as manager of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Preserve Route 66 initiative.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 6, 2026
Ahead of their departure, Iran played a final friendly against Mali in Antalya on Thursday, which they won 2-0.
From Barron's • Jun. 6, 2026
Ahead of a busy few months at multiplexes, here are the films expected to be this summer’s buzziest—and what you should know about them.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 6, 2026
Ahead of the 1987 crash, the S&P 500 had surged around 39% on a year-to-date basis by late August, raising concerns about valuations, according to Reid.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 2, 2026
Ahead of me in line, Betsie answered, “Unmarried,” for the twentieth time that day.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Definitions 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.
