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.
Based on that data, the UK's Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency has given the go-ahead for human trials.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
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
Replacing Balogun won’t be easy since he’s emerged as one of the team’s most effective and creative players, either scoring of setting up the go-ahead goal in all three of the U.S. wins.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 2026
Miguel Rojas had practiced his dance moves in the Dodgers dugout Monday, long before he hit the go-ahead home run.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026
They removed the chest tube early the next morning, and Armand gave the staff the go-ahead to let me sip apple juice.
From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini
Trump offered rare praise for the press in the immediate aftermath of the dinner, and praised their decision to go ahead with a re-run as a "sign of strength and fortitude."
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
Many doubted whether they would even happen - and when they do go ahead, they will do so in a stripped-back form.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
So, go ahead, keep NBA schedule-makers on pins and needles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
The new supreme leader has said he didn’t favor talks with the U.S. but allowed them to go ahead as long as Pezeshkian, the president, took responsibility for their outcome.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
“This knee of mine sure does like to let me know who’s boss, huh? You go ahead and keep washing. I’m going to sit down for a second.”
From "King and the Dragonflies" by Kacen Callender
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.
