go-ahead
noun
Usually the go-ahead permission or a signal to proceed.
go-ahead
American
[goh-uh-hed]
/ ˈgoʊ əˌhɛd /
noun
-
go-aheads
plural
-
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
-
moving forward; advancing.
-
a go-ahead Yankee peddler.
go ahead
British
verb
noun
adjective
go ahead
Idioms
-
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]
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
See Examples For:
Shell CEO Wael Sawan says the investment go-ahead reflects confidence in Canada as a place to invest and do business for the long-term.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
He also urged ministers to give the go-ahead to the new Jackdaw gas field off the coast of Aberdeen, and the Rosebank oil field off Shetland.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
Saggese delivering the go-ahead run on an infield single.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
On Friday, W. Mark Ward, a judge appointed by the Tennessee Supreme Court to review her case, gave the go-ahead for the execution, ruling that the state’s execution process would not violate Pike’s constitutional rights.
From Slate ● Aug. 25, 2026
To see a whole group of kids so excited about a school activity that they howl with joy when we get the go-ahead is a dream come true.
From "Linked" by Gordon Korman
Given the recent successes, I did go ahead and re-up for next year because I’m feeling optimistic.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
The Parades Commission's decided that the parade - which is opposed by residents of the Garvaghy Road - could go ahead on Sunday 27 September with restrictions.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
Last Friday, the commission decided that the march could go ahead with restrictions in place.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
Following a flurry of legal filings by Pike's lawyers that delayed the start of the execution by several hours, the US Supreme Court on Wednesday night cleared the way for the punishment to go ahead.
From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026
“Gum Baby gonna just sit here and watch, but you go ahead and do the most.”
From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia
If they can secure the zoning approval and the go-aheads from the community advisory board and gaming commission, they will then have to pay at least a $500 million license fee to the state.
From New York Times ● May 2, 2022
After my recent column on different synonyms for flip-flops — zories, go-aheads, thongs, etc. — readers wrote in to share terms they learned growing up.
From Washington Post ● May 5, 2021
But church officials say their own plan is “shovel ready,” awaiting formal go-aheads from city and state financing agencies.
From New York Times ● Mar. 26, 2010
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.
