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

Selling the project - backed by a lot of money - helped steal a march on rivals, but there was also an element of gamble, too.

From BBC • May 29, 2023

Those issues allowed rivals to steal a march on Colt, although it emerged from bankruptcy in 2016 and revenue rose by a quarter last year.

From Reuters • Sep. 13, 2021

With so much empty space concentrated in the center of Nottingham, he sees an unrivaled opportunity for the city to steal a march on rivals coping with the decline of central malls and main streets.

From New York Times • May 18, 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

My lighter, more superficial side will always steal a march on the deeper side and therefore always win.

From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank