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.
Key details: New orders slid from an 18-month high in March, when customers tried to get ahead of expected price increases tied to the war.
From MarketWatch • May 5, 2026
“That’ll all hit if … you know, I don’t want to get ahead of myself,” Glatt said.
From Los Angeles Times • May 2, 2026
This "is helping Pacific Island countries get ahead of climate change by strengthening their food security based on better information", says Hemant Mandal, GCF director for Asia and the Pacific.
From BBC • Apr. 26, 2026
States can get ahead of this problem by establishing clear regulations for small learning environments, calibrated to scale and risk.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026
A large majority favors programs to help the poor get ahead.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
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.
