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

There are few obvious, practical avenues through which Putin can escalate the conflict and not worsen the challenges ahead of him. —Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 18 June 2026

These savers won't need to rush to lock in a rate, as some did ahead of a pending Fed rate cut in 2024 and 2025. —Matt Richardson, CBS News, 18 June 2026

In all of Major League Baseball, home run totals have fluctuated but gradually increased over the years, with this year’s pace running slightly ahead of last year’s. —Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2026

Fort Worth civil rights icon Opal Lee’s spirit was as lively as ever on Thursday, June 18, during a press conference and panel discussion celebrating her life and legacy ahead of her Juneteenth Walk For Freedom. —Mary Ella Hastings june 18, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 June 2026

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