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.
In a 1-1 count, Phillips threw a sinker on the inside edge of the strike zone, and Taylor lifted it into the left-field stands for a go-ahead three-run homer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
Then, in his second, he worked a 2-2 count, before roping a curveball up the right-field line for a go-ahead two-run double.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
If the hub gets the go-ahead, it would be built across the road from Michael's home and his Airbnb.
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026
In Game 2, he had the go-ahead score on a power play.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 13, 2026
He kinda nods, as if he’s giving her the go-ahead.
From "On the Come Up" by Angie Thomas
Sjöblom got permission from national and local governments to go ahead in January, but now faces appeals from local residents.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
So, go ahead, keep NBA schedule-makers on pins and needles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
BBC Scotland News understands that closure is now not expected to go ahead as planned.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
Events in the region are expected to go ahead, but questions remain over how much growth will be affected, the analysts say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
“Chess, you go ahead and start eating. Emma and I will go back upstairs and work on her hair together.”
From "The Strangers" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
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.
