go-ahead
noun
Usually the go-ahead permission or a signal to proceed.
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go-ahead
American
[goh-uh-hed]
/ ˈgoʊ əˌhɛd /
noun
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Usually the go-ahead permission or a signal to proceed.
They got the go-ahead on the construction work.
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Baseball. Usually the go-ahead go-ahead run.
With two outs, and the go-ahead on first, Hoffman winds up and delivers the pitch.
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Chiefly Hawaii and California. a sandal held on the foot by a strap between the big toe and the next toe.
adjective
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moving forward; advancing.
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a go-ahead Yankee peddler.
go ahead
British
verb
noun
adjective
go ahead
Idioms
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Move forward rapidly or act without restraint; also, continue something. For example, If you want to borrow the tractor, go ahead . This expression is often put as go ahead with , as in Are you going ahead with the house party? The term dates from the mid-1600s and gave rise to give the go-ahead , meaning “give permission to move or act in some way.”
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go ahead of . Make one's way to the front of, as in They went ahead of me to see the purser . [Mid-1700s]
Etymology
Origin of go-ahead
An Americanism first recorded in 1830–40; noun and adjective use of verb phrase go ahead
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.
If Southampton are not removed then it means, unless the EFL were to appeal, the match would definitely go ahead as scheduled.
From BBC • May 15, 2026
But Griffin has since indicated he would go ahead with his plans.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026
“But I’m quite sure that we will go ahead with a significant exercise.”
From Barron's • May 14, 2026
If you do go ahead with the purchase, pay careful attention to your title deed.
From MarketWatch • May 5, 2026
“This knee of mine sure does like to let me know who’s boss, huh? You go ahead and keep washing. I’m going to sit down for a second.”
From "King and the Dragonflies" by Kacen Callender
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.
