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

Estimate what you’ll spend over the course of a year to see which way you’d come out ahead.

From Barron's • Mar. 5, 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

The governing body's president Aleksander Ceferin said Germany's bid had come out ahead of Poland and a joint bid from Denmark and Sweden.

From BBC • Dec. 3, 2025

To make sure they come out ahead, they diligently update a color-coded Google Sheet as they redeem the cards’ dining, travel and shopping credits.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 6, 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