come out ahead

Idioms  

1. Succeed, make a profit. For example, By the end of the year we expect to come out ahead. Also see ahead of the game.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

come out ahead

But because they on average have lost less than the indexes during market downturns, they come out ahead over the longer term on a risk-adjusted basis.

From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026

“You can get a week’s vacation and dental work and still come out ahead of what you’d be paying in the U.S.,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 28, 2026

In theory, you would have come out ahead in the alternative index fund, but in practice you would have finished behind.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026

But if past is prologue, investors, at least, could come out ahead.

From MarketWatch ● Dec. 31, 2025

To come out ahead after child-care costs, Generose figured she would have to find work that paid thirteen or fourteen dollars an hour.

From "Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman's Quest to Make a Difference" by Warren St. John