ahead

[ uh-hed ]
See synonyms for ahead on Thesaurus.com
adverb
  1. in or to the front; in advance of; before: Walk ahead of us.

  2. in a forward direction; onward; forward: The line of cars moved ahead slowly.

  1. into or for the future: Plan ahead.

  2. so as to register a later time: to set the clock ahead.

  3. at or to a different time, either earlier or later:to push a deadline ahead one day from Tuesday to Monday; to push a deadline ahead one day from Tuesday to Wednesday.

  4. onward toward success; to a more advantageous position; upward in station: There's a young man who is sure to get ahead.

Idioms about ahead

  1. ahead of,

    • in front of; before: He ran ahead of me.

    • superior to; beyond: materially ahead of other countries.

    • in advance of; at an earlier time than: We got there ahead of the other guests.

  2. be ahead,

    • to be winning: Our team is ahead by two runs.

    • to be in a position of advantage; be benefiting: His score in mathematics is poor, but he's ahead in foreign languages.

Origin of ahead

1
First recorded in 1590–1600; a-1 + head

Words Nearby ahead

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use ahead in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for ahead

ahead

/ (əˈhɛd) /


adjective
  1. (postpositive) in front; in advance

adverb
  1. at or in the front; in advance; before

  2. onwards; forwards: go straight ahead

  1. ahead of

    • in front of; at a further advanced position than

    • stock exchange in anticipation of: the share price rose ahead of the annual figures

  2. be ahead informal to have an advantage; be winning: to be ahead on points

  3. get ahead to advance or attain success

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with ahead

ahead

In addition to the idioms beginning with ahead

  • ahead of one's time
  • ahead of the game
  • ahead of time

also see:

  • come out ahead
  • dead ahead
  • full speed ahead
  • get ahead
  • go ahead
  • one jump ahead
  • quit while one's ahead

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.