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.
That allowed Nick Kurtz to reach home as the go-ahead run.
From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2026
Chipmaker Nvidia was reportedly given a go-ahead to sell semiconductors to 10 Chinese companies and Boeing secured an order for 200 aircraft.
From BBC • May 15, 2026
The tie was shortlived, however, with Barbashev tapping in a pass from Pavel Dorofeyev for the go-ahead goal.
From Los Angeles Times • May 5, 2026
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
The government gave the go-ahead that the tournament take place.
From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane
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.
