Usually the go-ahead permission or a signal to proceed.
They got the go-ahead on the construction work.
Baseball. Usually the go-ahead go-ahead run.
With two outs, and the go-ahead on first, Hoffman winds up and delivers the pitch.
Chiefly Hawaii and California. a sandal held on the foot by a strap between the big toe and the next toe.
moving forward; advancing.
a go-ahead Yankee peddler.
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.”
go ahead of . Make one's way to the front of, as in They went ahead of me to see the purser . [Mid-1700s]
An Americanism first recorded in 1830–40; noun and adjective use of verb phrase go ahead
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The administration first allowed Anthropic to give access to a select group of trusted customers before giving it the go-ahead for wider access late last month after it addressed cybersecurity concerns.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 8, 2026
He said a team from the French government had previously given him a go-ahead, but he then was informed that the "booth is closed".
From Barron's • Jun. 15, 2026
In Game 2, he had the go-ahead score on a power play.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 13, 2026
That allowed Nick Kurtz to reach home as the go-ahead run.
From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2026
Ob and I agreed to meet Cletus at his house on Saturday, so Ob could meet Cletus’s parents and get the go-ahead for Cletus to come with us to Putnam County next week.
From "Missing May" by Cynthia Rylant
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.
