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advantage

[ad-van-tij, -vahn-]

Example Sentences Origin

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noun

any state, circumstance, opportunity, or means specially favorable to success, interest, or any desired end: the advantage of a good education.

benefit; gain; profit: It will be to his advantage to learn Chinese before going to China.

superiority or ascendancy (often followed by over or of): His height gave him an advantage over his opponent.

a position of superiority (often followed by over or of): their advantage in experienced players.

Tennis. the first point scored after deuce.

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verb (used with object)

to be of service to; yield profit or gain to; benefit.

to cause to advance; further; promote: Such action will advantage our cause.

to prove beneficial to; profit: It would advantage him to work harder.

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Advantage is one of our favorite verbs.

So is bowdlerise. Does it mean:

to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax.

to expurgate (a written work) by removing or modifying passages considered vulgar or objectionable.

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Idioms

have the advantage of, to be in a superior or advantageous position; possess an advantage over: By virtue of independent wealth, he has the advantage of his opponents.

10.

take advantage of,

to make use of for gain: to take advantage of an opportunity.

to impose upon, especially unfairly, as by exploiting a weakness: to take advantage of someone.

11.

to advantage, to good effect; advantageously: The paintings were arranged to advantage on one wall.

Origin:
1300–50; Middle English ava(u)ntage < Anglo-French, Old French avantage, equivalent to avant before (see advance) + -age -age; for ad- see advance

Synonyms
2. Advantage, benefit, profit all mean something that is of use or value. Advantage is anything that places one in an improved position, especially in coping with competition or difficulties: It is to one's advantage to have traveled widely. Benefit is anything that promotes the welfare or improves the state of a person or group: a benefit to society. Profit is any valuable, useful, or helpful gain: profit from trade or experience. 6. serve, avail, help, aid.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To advantage

Example Sentences

Ask them to explain the advantages and disadvantages of drawing a map at this close-up level.

We ordinary people have the advantage of anonymity.

Is she taking advantage of the situation? I also suspect that she is looking for another job.

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Collins

World English Dictionary

advantage (ədˈvɑːntɪdʒ)

—n (often foll by over or of)
1.	superior or more favourable position or power: he had an advantage over me because of his experience
2.	benefit or profit (esp in the phrase to one's advantage)
3.	tennis
	a. the point scored after deuce
	b. the resulting state of the score
4.	take advantage of
	a. to make good use of
	b. to impose upon the weakness, good nature, etc, of; abuse
	c. to seduce
5.	to advantage to good effect: he used his height to advantage at the game
6.	you have the advantage of me you know me but I do not know you

[C14: avantage (later altered to advantage on the model of words beginning with Latin ad-), from Old French avant before, from Latin abante from before, away. See advance]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

advantage

early 14c., "position of being in advance of another," from O.Fr. avantage, from avant "before," probably via an unrecorded L.L. *abantaticum, from L. abante (see advance). The -d- is a 16c. intrusion on the analogy of Latin ad- words. Meaning "a favoring circumstance" (the

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opposite of disadvantage) is from late 15c. Tennis score sense is from 1640s, first recorded in writings of John Milton, of all people. Phrase to take advantage of is first attested late 14c.

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American Heritage

Idioms & Phrases

advantage

see get the advantage of; show to advantage; take advantage of; to advantage.