get ahead
Britishverb
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to be successful; prosper
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(foll by of) to surpass or excel
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Succeed or make progress, especially in one's career or in society. For example, She put in many hours of overtime in order to get ahead . [c. 1800]
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Save a little money, as in After we settle the hospital bill, we hope to get ahead enough to buy a new car .
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get ahead of . Move in front of, as in I got ahead of her in line .
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get ahead of . Outdo, surpass, as in We were determined to get ahead of the competition . Also see ahead of the game .
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.
Despite higher oil and gas costs, some producers benefited from customers bringing forward orders to get ahead of potentially higher prices and supply shortages, while greater disruption to Asian competitors supported demand for European manufacturers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
Some of that resilience may come from companies front-loading orders of German goods to get ahead of expected supply-chain difficulties and price rises due to the war.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
But he added that companies' attempts to get ahead of planned tariff hikes "likely lent a hand."
From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026
Unlike younger adults who may want to lose weight in order to look better or to get ahead of obesity-related conditions that could lead to decades of poor health, older people often have different priorities.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 25, 2026
Like a dance step, my muscles remembered and raced to get ahead of the music.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
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.
