advantage

American  

[ad-van-tij, -vahn-] / ædˈvæn tɪdʒ, -ˈvɑn- /

noun

1. any state, circumstance, opportunity, or means specially favorable to success, interest, or any desired end.

   the advantage of a good education.

2. benefit; gain; profit.

   It will be to his advantage to learn Chinese before going to China.

3. superiority or ascendancy (often followed by over orof ).

   His height gave him an advantage over his opponent.

4. a position of superiority (often followed by over orof ).

   their advantage in experienced players.

5. Tennis. the first point scored after deuce.

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verb (used with object)

advantages, present (3rd person singular) advantaged, past participle, past advantaging present participle

1. to be of service to; yield profit or gain to; benefit.

   Synonyms:

   aid, help, avail, serve

2. to cause to advance; further; promote.

   Such action will advantage our cause.

3. to prove beneficial to; profit.

   It would advantage him to work harder.

idioms

1. to advantage, to good effect; advantageously.

   The paintings were arranged to advantage on one wall.

2. have the advantage of, to be in a superior or advantageous position; possess an advantage over.

   By virtue of independent wealth, he has the advantage of his opponents.

3. take advantage of,

   1. to make use of for gain.

      to take advantage of an opportunity.

   2. to impose upon, especially unfairly, as by exploiting a weakness.

      to take advantage of someone.

advantage British  

/ ədˈvɑːntɪdʒ /

noun

1. superior or more favourable position or power

   he had an advantage over me because of his experience

2. benefit or profit (esp in the phrase to one's advantage )

3. tennis

   1. the point scored after deuce

   2. the resulting state of the score

4. 1. to make good use of

   2. to impose upon the weakness, good nature, etc, of; abuse

   3. to seduce

5. to good effect

   he used his height to advantage at the game

6. you know me but I do not know you

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advantage More Idioms  

1. see get the advantage of; show to advantage; take advantage of; to advantage.

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Usage

What are other ways to say advantage? An advantage is something that positions one well for accomplishing something. How is advantage different from benefit and profit? Find out on Thesaurus.com. 

Other Word Forms

Conjugated Forms

Present

• has advantaged
  perfect 3rd person singular
• have advantaged
  perfect
• has been advantaging
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• is advantaging
  progressive 3rd person singular
• are advantaging
  progressive
• am advantaging
  progressive 1st person singular
• have been advantaging
  perfect progressive
• advantaging
  participle
• advantages
  singular 3rd person

Past

• had advantaged
  perfect
• had been advantaging
  perfect progressive
• were advantaging
  progressive plural
• was advantaging
  progressive singular
• advantaged
  simple
• advantaged
  participle

Future

• will advantage
  simple
• will have advantaged
  perfect
• will be advantaging
  progressive
• will have been advantaging
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of advantage

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English ava(u)ntage, from Anglo-French, Old French avantage, equivalent to avant “before” + -age noun suffix; see origin at advance, -age

Explanation

An advantage is like a head start in a race; it's that thing that gives you a better chance. The noun advantage also refers to a reward or benefit of some action or event. Being sick with the flu had the advantage of kick-starting your diet because you didn't feel like eating much. If you leverage the benefits, you are taking advantage of the situation. If you go on a business trip to Hawaii, you could take advantage of the opportunity and spend an extra day or two on vacation.

Example Sentences

Officers from the Met - Britain's largest force - said they were seeing a pattern when it comes to those taken advantage of.

From BBC • Jun. 8, 2026

South Africa, South Korea and Czechia are all capable opponents and cannot be underestimated, but Mexico has the advantage.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 7, 2026

“Like we’re on top of the world, like it was just our night for that one night. We definitely took advantage of that,” Dakorien said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 6, 2026

Even though low-volatility stocks’ advantage has diminished, these stocks on average are able to produce returns almost as good as the overall market while incurring significantly less volatility.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 6, 2026

Jeremy took advantage of the truce to study the beast.

From "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" by Bruce Coville

Related Words

• benefit
• edge
• favor
• gain
• interest
• leverage
• position
• power
• preference
• profit
• protection
• recognition
• return
• superiority
• support
• upper hand