steal a march on

Idioms  

1. Gain an advantage over unexpectedly or secretly, as in Macy's stole a march on their rival department store with their Thanksgiving Day parade. This metaphoric expression comes from medieval warfare, where a march was the distance an army could travel in a day. By quietly marching at night, a force could surprise and overtake the enemy at daybreak. Its figurative use dates from the second half of the 1700s.

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

steal a march on

Engineers in Russia are using Chinese components to mass-produce inexpensive arms and steal a march on its adversaries.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

By liberalising the law so quickly and so completely, the government hopes to steal a march on neighbouring countries, many of which may in any case be reluctant to follow the trail blazed by Thailand.

From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2022

That has allowed it to steal a march on the United States.

From New York Times ● May 22, 2021

“Perhaps Airbus can steal a march on Boeing while Boeing is preoccupied,” said Sandy Morris, a research analyst at Jefferies International.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 28, 2020

He thought that he would steal a march on his famous cousin.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White