advance

verb

ad·vance | \əd-ˈvan(t)s

advanced; advancing

Definition of advance

(Entry 1 of 3)

transitive verb

1 : to accelerate the growth or progress of advance a cause

2 : to bring or move forward advance a pawn

3 : to raise to a higher rank was advanced from clerk to assistant manager

4 archaic : to lift up : raise

5 : to bring forward in time especially : to make earlier advance the date of the meeting

6 : to bring forward for notice, consideration, or acceptance : propose advance an idea

7 : to supply or furnish in expectation of repayment advance a loan

8 : to raise in rate : increase advance the rent

intransitive verb

1 : to move forward : proceed an advancing army

2 : to make progress : increase advance in age

3 : to rise in rank, position, or importance advance through the ranks

4 : to rise in rate or price advancing wages

advance

noun

Definition of advance (Entry 2 of 3)

1 : a moving forward halted the enemy's advances

2a : progress in development … mistaking material advance for spiritual enrichment.— H. J. Laski

b : a progressive step : improvement an advance in medical technique

3 : a rise in price, value, or amount The workers won wage advances.

4 : a first step or approach made Her attitude discouraged all advances.

5 : a provision of something (such as money or goods) before a return is received I need an advance on my salary. also : the money or goods supplied received a $100,000 advance on his new book

in advance

1 : to, toward, or in a place or position ahead sent scouts out in advance

2 : before a deadline or an anticipated event made reservations in advance

in advance of

: ahead of made preparations several days in advance of her arrival

advance

adjective

Definition of advance (Entry 3 of 3)

1 : made, sent, or furnished ahead of time advance sales

2 : going or situated before an advance party of soldiers

Other Words from advance Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about advance

Keep scrolling for more

Choose the Right Synonym for advance

Verb

advance, promote, forward, further mean to help (someone or something) to move ahead. advance stresses effective assisting in hastening a process or bringing about a desired end. advance the cause of peace promote suggests an encouraging or fostering and may denote an increase in status or rank. a campaign to promote better health forward implies an impetus forcing something ahead. a wage increase would forward productivity further suggests a removing of obstacles in the way of a desired advance. used the marriage to further his career

Examples of advance in a Sentence

Verb

The car advanced slowly down the street. The sun slowly advanced across the sky. She opened the door and advanced cautiously into the room. advance the hands of a clock The film is advanced by an electric motor. The team advanced the ball steadily down the field. Our understanding of this disease has advanced rapidly in recent years. The team did not advance beyond the first round of the play-offs. The company tries to keep up with advancing technology. As he advanced in age and stature he advanced in knowledge.

Noun

trying to halt the enemy's advance trying to halt the enemy's advances a big advance in technology The new system represents a considerable advance over the old one. There have been few advances made in the treatment of this disease. There has been little advance made in the treatment of this disease. The workers won wage advances. a yearlong advance in stock prices

Adjective

an advance copy of a new book

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

France had the Knockout Rounds of Death, advancing past Argentina, Uruguay, and Belgium. — Ed Barkowitz, Philly.com, "Atlantic City bookies offer odds and props for Sunday's World Cup final between France and Croatia," 13 July 2018 If the same team wins both semifinal games, that team would advance to ArenaBowl XXXI. — Jonas Shaffer, baltimoresun.com, "No. 2 seed Brigade open Arena Football League semifinal series at Philadelphia," 13 July 2018 Croatia joined an exclusive club of 13 nations that advanced to a World Cup final, doing it in a tournament where powerhouse teams Brazil, Germany, Argentina, and Spain made early exits. — Ronald Blum, The Christian Science Monitor, "Croatia will make its first-ever appearance in World Cup final," 12 July 2018 Its target for 2018 was merely to advance past the round of 16, a feat England hadn’t managed since 2006. — Jonathan Clegg, WSJ, "How England Rewired Its Soccer DNA," 10 July 2018 Right there, at Sochi’s Fisht Stadium, the underdog Russian team will seek to advance past the quarterfinal of the World Cup and keep its remarkable dream alive. — Martin Rogers, USA TODAY, "Let's hope Russia doesn't end up ruining this amazing World Cup," 7 July 2018 Here’s how Croatia advanced past Denmark: PK: Croatia 3, Denmark 2 Croatia wins the shootout 3-2! — Victor Mather, New York Times, "Shootout Sunday: Croatia Follows Russia’s Lead and Wins on Penalty Kicks," 3 July 2018 The Cougars are coming off their best season in decades, winning 27 games and advancing past the opening round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the Phi Slama Jama days in 1984. — Joseph Duarte, Houston Chronicle, "Chris Pezman: ‘We want Sampson to finish career’ at UH," 25 June 2018 Mexico will try to advance past the second round for the first time since 1986, but El Tri opens against Germany and its likely second-round opponent is Brazil. — Ronald Blum, Fox News, "Germany looks to become 1st repeat Cup champ in half-century," 12 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Wochit From Vitamin D and human embryonic stem cells to blood thinners and new treatment avenues for patients with Alzheimer's Disease, the University of Wisconsin-Madison has been home to numerous scientific advances since its founding in 1849. — Mark Johnson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "UW scientific advances include vitamins, growing human embryonic stem cells in lab," 12 July 2018 While the top 125 players still qualify for the FedEx Cup playoffs, one fewer playoff event means only the top 70 — instead of the top 100 — advance to the second round before the top 30 make it to the Tour Championship. — Doug Ferguson, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Ferguson: PGA Championship move to May crucial to Tour's schedule tweaks," 11 July 2018 More broadly, officials hope medical advances will lead to shorter treatment regimens and, eventually, a vaccine. — Devin Kelly, Anchorage Daily News, "Meet the city health worker who tracks down tuberculosis patients in Anchorage," 3 July 2018 The company’s growth reflects rapid advances in personal medicine and genomics, Schadt said in a recent interview. — Stephen Singer, courant.com, "In Pursuit Of NYC Businesses, 5 Fairfield County Towns Go Their Own Way," 13 July 2018 DeLuca’s work helps pave the way for advances in the treatment of osteoporosis. — Mark Johnson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "UW scientific advances include vitamins, growing human embryonic stem cells in lab," 12 July 2018 Roller coasters may seem like a very modern type of entertainment, constantly getting bigger, faster and scarier thanks to advances in technology. — Richard Stephens, Smithsonian, "The History and Psychology of Roller Coasters," 12 July 2018 The new generation of monitors is made possible by advances in laser technology. — Jason Plautz, WIRED, "Cheap, Portable Sensors Are Democratizing Air-Quality Data," 11 July 2018 The past couple of years have seen wireless headphones advance in leaps and bounds, both in technical terms and in consumer awareness. — Vlad Savov, The Verge, "Wired headphones are becoming the mechanical watches of personal audio," 7 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

The measure would close a loophole that drug traffickers exploit: While private shippers like FedEx and UPS are required to obtain advance electronic information on most shipments, the Postal Service is not. — Matthew Garcia, Washington Post, "What A U.S.-China Trade War Could Mean For The Opioid Epidemic," 9 July 2018 The measure would close a loophole that drug traffickers exploit: While private shippers like FedEx and UPS are required to obtain advance electronic information on most shipments, the Postal Service is not. — Matthew Garcia, USA TODAY, "What a U.S.-China trade war could mean for opioid epidemic," 6 July 2018 Beyond offering customers more advance e-commerce options, Walmart has in recent years given store workers raises in an effort to improve what had been weaker customer service scores and remodeled many stores. — Phil Wahba, Fortune, "Walmart Adds Chief Customer Officer Role to Further Integrate Stores and E-Commerce," 3 July 2018 While any increase means higher premiums for consumers who do not qualify for government subsidies, known as advance premium tax credits, the vast majority of Obamacare consumers who do qualify will see a much smaller increase. — Ron Hurtibise, Sun-Sentinel.com, "South Florida's 3 Obamacare providers file proposals to return in 2019," 22 June 2018 But any such flight would require advance warning, enough to launch spacecraft on missions laster longer than a year to reach the target far enough out to deflect it from Earth. — William Harwood, CBS News, "NASA asteroid-watchers team up on emergency plan with White House, FEMA," 20 June 2018 The California law, which began to take effect this year, requires drugmakers to give insurers, governments and drug purchasers advance notice of large price increases as a way of publicly pressuring pharmaceutical companies to keep prices down. — Robert Langreth, latimes.com, "Drugmakers cancel some price increases after California law takes effect," 10 July 2018 Medicaid rules require advance notice of changes in benefits and a period for public comment, Regan said. — Deborah Yetter, The Courier-Journal, "Kids wrongly denied care under Bevin's Medicaid cuts, dentists say," 3 July 2018 The law requires drug makers to give insurers, governments, and purchasers advance notice of large price hikes. — Ed Silverman, STAT, "Pharmalittle: California transparency law stalls some price hikes; Pfizer reorganizes operations, again," 11 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'advance.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for advance

Verb

Middle English advauncen, alteration (with initial a- taken as assimilated form of Latin ad- ad-) of avauncen, borrowed from Anglo-French avancer, going back to Vulgar Latin *abantiāre, verbal derivative of Latin abante "before, in front," from ab- ab- + ante "before" — more at ante-