go-ahead run
Americannoun
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a run that puts the batting team in the lead.
The runner on third scores easily, and that’s the go-ahead run for Baltimore.
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the runner who occupies a base closer to home plate than any other runner and who represents the team’s next opportunity to score a tie-breaking run.
The go-ahead run is on second base, and any decent hit from Jackson is gonna bring him home.
Etymology
Origin of go-ahead run
First recorded in 1990–95
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.
On Tuesday, the Mets lost when combustible relief pitcher Devin Williams fell apart again, allowing Minnesota a go-ahead run and walking in a fifth run for kicks.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 22, 2026
Clase threw 30 of these pitches with the tying or go-ahead run either on base, at the plate, or on deck.
From Slate • Nov. 11, 2025
It was the first Game 7 that had a ninth-inning home run to tie the score and the first to feature two video reviews that prevented the go-ahead run from scoring.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 2, 2025
In the top of the 12th, the Tigers had the potential go-ahead run on third with one out, only for Seattle reliever Eduard Bazardo to wiggle out of the jam.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 11, 2025
Walking Ohtani would have moved the go-ahead run to third base, and with Kim’s speed, any ball put in play by the next batter would have likely resulted in a run.
From Los Angeles Times • May 16, 2025
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.
