go-ahead
Americannoun
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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.
verb
noun
adjective
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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.
The region’s governor gave the go-ahead for the restart in November, after lengthy consultations with businesses and residents.
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday he had given the official go-ahead to replace his country's flagship, the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle.
From Barron's
It is why the Financial Conduct Authority has given the go-ahead for targeted support - a scheme that, for the first time, allows banks and financial firms to give suggestions about where to invest your money.
From BBC
Dillon Brooks hit the go-ahead three-pointer with 12.2 seconds left to complete the Suns’ comeback, but he was ejected after he bumped chests with James and got his second technical foul.
From Los Angeles Times
An earlier version of this article incorrectly said the regulator had yet to give the go-ahead.
From Barron's
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.
