View synonyms for ahead

ahead

[uh-hed]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

adverb

in or to the front; in advance of; before.
Walk ahead of us.
in a forward direction; onward; forward.
The line of cars moved ahead slowly.
into or for the future.
Plan ahead.
so as to register a later time.
to set the clock ahead.
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.
onward toward success; to a more advantageous position; upward in station.
There's a young man who is sure to get ahead.

ahead

/ əˈhɛd /

at or in the front; in advance; before
onwards; forwards
go straight ahead
1. in front of; at a further advanced position than
2. stock exchange in anticipation of
  the share price rose ahead of the annual figures
informal, to have an advantage; be winning
to be ahead on points
to advance or attain success

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Origin of ahead¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; a- ¹ + head

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ahead of,
1. in front of; before.
  He ran ahead of me.
2. superior to; beyond.
  materially ahead of other countries.
3. in advance of; at an earlier time than.
  We got there ahead of the other guests.
be ahead,
1. to be winning.
  Our team is ahead by two runs.
2. 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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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

At my dad’s exit interview, his counselor advised him to keep Carville a secret so he could avoid the stigma it carried and focus on his life ahead.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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