ahead

adverb or adjective

ə-ˈhed 

1

a

: in a forward direction or position : forward

b

: in front

2

: in, into, or for the future

plan ahead

3

: in or toward a more advantageous position

helped others to get ahead

4

: at or to an earlier time : in advance

make payments ahead

5

a

: in or into a leading position in a race or competition

a politician who is running ahead in most polls

Josh Carter scored from a yard out and the Pride added a two-point conversion to surge ahead 14-7.

—Cumberland (Maryland) Times-News

b baseball

(1)

of a pitcher : in or into the situation of having thrown more strikes than balls to a batter

Home run threat Mark Reynolds was up next with the bases loaded, but Colon quickly got ahead 1-2 in the count and struck the third baseman out swinging with a … fastball.

—Ray Monell

(2)

of a batter : in or into the situation of having a count of more balls than strikes

Albert Pujols got ahead 3-1 and then lined one into the seats in left for his 20th home run of the year and second of the series.

—John Fay

Synonyms of ahead

• earlier
• before
• already
• early

Examples of ahead in a Sentence

call ahead for reservations

sent me ahead to get a place in the check-out line while she went to get the eggs and milk

the line moved ahead at a snail's pace

Recent Examples on the Web

To make ahead, toast the cornbread cubes and cook the bacon and vegetables up to two days in advance; store separately. —Jasmine Smith, Southern Living, 23 Nov. 2025

In the end, the hard schedule prepared Carroll for the road ahead. —Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Nov. 2025

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a recent press release that there's a bright future ahead for transportation and trains. —Ashley J. Dimella, FOXNews.com, 23 Nov. 2025

What does such a volatile week for stocks and other asset classes mean for the trading week ahead? —Leonie Kidd, CNBC, 23 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1568, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing ahead

• ahead of
• ahead of one's/its time
• ahead of one's time
• ahead of schedule
• ahead of the curve
• ahead of the game
• ahead of time
• a/one step ahead of
• are/keep/stay one jump ahead
• dead ahead
• full steam/speed ahead
• get ahead
• given the go-ahead
• go-ahead
• go ahead with (something)
• going full speed ahead
• lie ahead
• light-years ahead
• look ahead
• move ahead
• move ahead/along
• plow ahead
• pull ahead
• received/got the go-ahead
• stay/keep ahead of the field
• straight-ahead
• streets ahead of
• the go-ahead
• think ahead

Rhymes for ahead

• abed
• beachhead
• bedspread
• bedstead
• behead
• blackhead
• blockhead
• bloodshed
• bowhead
• breastfed
• bridgehead
• broadhead

Kids Definition

ahead

adverb or adjective

ə-ˈhed 

1

: in or toward the front

the road ahead

go ahead

2

: in, into, or for the future

think ahead

3

: in or toward a better position

came out $20 ahead on the deal

4

: at or to an earlier time : in advance

make payments ahead