ahead of

preposition

1

: in front or advance of

2

: in excess of

Synonyms

• before
• prior to
• in advance of
• to
• previous to

Examples of ahead of in a Sentence

She got ahead of me.

They went on ahead of us and by now are several miles ahead of us.

We have some hard work ahead of us.

The polls show that he is ahead of the other candidates.

The company is working hard to stay one step ahead of the competition.

They were trailing us by 5 points earlier in the game, but now they're ahead of us by 7.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Yankees are showing some aggressiveness ahead of the trade deadline. —Zach Pressnell, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 July 2025

Global markets are seesawing this week, as traders digest the latest trade tariff news, and any potential trade deals ahead of a July 9 deadline, when higher trade duties are due to come into effect. —Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 8 July 2025

The deal also includes a player option for Banchero ahead of the final season of the deal, a league source said. —Jason Beede, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 July 2025

County staff will collect public feedback ahead of a final FDOT inspection once the signs are up. —Skyler Shepard, Sun Sentinel, 7 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1613, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for ahead of

• above
• foxglove
• hereof
• thereof
• whereof
• dove
• glove
• love
• shove
• hereinabove

Kids Definition

ahead of

preposition

: in or at a place or time before

got ahead of me

we're ahead of schedule