ahead of

preposition

1

: in front or advance of

They were ahead of us in line.

2

: in excess of

Synonyms of ahead of

• before
• prior to
• in advance of
• 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

After being hit by higher prices for groceries, electricity and housing, consumers are seizing upon sales to get ahead of further price increases. —Melissa Repko,gabrielle Fonrouge, CNBC, 16 Dec. 2025

This past year, Obama campaigned on the ground for the Democratic Party’s Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial candidates and spoke with Mamdani ahead of Election Day. —Oren Oppenheim, ABC News, 15 Dec. 2025

For cocktails that use stronger liquors, prepare your drinks ahead of time so the cocktail cube has a chance to melt slightly before serving. —Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Dec. 2025

The district is having to cut more than $45 million from its budget ahead of next school year. —Karen Morfitt, CBS News, 15 Dec. 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