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

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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

Still, Senate leaders on Tuesday signaled support for the deal and for advancing it swiftly, with both parties urging Mr. Trump to sign it into law. — Kristina Peterson, WSJ, "Trump Is Lukewarm on Border-Funding Deal," 13 Feb. 2019 Once known as the Charles River Dam Bridge, Science Park is the home to one of the world’s largest science museums, which inspires visitors in a city known for its heavy-hitting contributions to advancing the sciences. — Elizabeth Wellington, Condé Nast Traveler, "12 Best Museums in Boston You'll Want To Visit," 17 July 2018 Keon Broxton opened with a swinging bunt and moved to second on a groundout, only to be thrown out at third trying to advance on a grounder to shortstop by Chacín. — Todd Rosiak, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Brewers 8, Marlins 4: Christian Yelich torments his former team," 10 July 2018 Sixty votes are normally required to advance a bill, while judges can be confirmed with a simple majority. — CBS News, "Man on a mission: Mitch McConnell's effort to reshape the courts," 7 July 2018 Kushner had also been banking on Saudi Arabia, and his pal MBS, to help advance the plan — but the future of that also seemed pretty doubtful even before the Khashoggi fallout. — Jen Kirby, Vox, "The 7 biggest foreign news stories to watch in 2019, from Brexit to North Korea," 24 Dec. 2018 According to the new report, 265 was shut down shortly, and the remaining Dragonfly team is facing significant difficulties advancing the project without the data source. — Russell Brandom, The Verge, "Google halted Chinese data collection program after Dragonfly backlash," 17 Dec. 2018 Often, my migraines seem to come out of nowhere and advance very quickly. — Jacqueline Andriakos, SELF, "13 People Explain What It’s Really Like to Have a Migraine," 1 Feb. 2019 Getty ImagesNBC That said, Michael’s second season midlife (well, mid-afterlife) crisis was a great gateway through which to explore components of existentialism (while simultaneously advancing the plot). — Anne T. Donahue, Marie Claire, "How Accurate Is The Good Place's Philosophy?," 31 Jan. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

If world leaders insist on maintaining historical rates of economic growth, and there are no step-change advances in technology, hitting that target requires a rate of reduction in carbon intensity for which there is simply no precedent. — David Roberts, Vox, "The case for “conditional optimism” on climate change," 29 Jan. 2019 However, these effects can be mitigated through designs that better control airflow, and as aviation tech advances, sonic booms promise to be quieter. — Joe Pappalardo, Popular Mechanics, "Supersonic Airliners Are About to Take Off. Again.," 7 Jan. 2019 When words appear on the screen and are read aloud, the narrative advances, empowering kids to navigate their own journey. — Lizzie Garrett Mettler, Vogue, "With Wonderscope, a Tech Company Attempts the Unthinkable: Healthy Screen Time for Kids," 14 Nov. 2018 So, even with these advances, why does a sense of frustration remain? — Claire Dodson, Teen Vogue, "Ariana Grande's "Thank U, Next" Is the Perfect Response to the 2018 Midterms — and What Comes After," 9 Nov. 2018 Within hundreds of years of first contact in Iron Gates, complex agricultural societies sprang up in southeastern Europe, along with other advances, such as intricate metalwork. — Mark Barna, Discover Magazine, "When Farmers and Foragers First Met," 24 Oct. 2018 There are no advances for Tesla’s driver assistance system, Autopilot, though. — Sean O'kane, The Verge, "Tesla adds Atari games and dash camera feature in new software update," 5 Oct. 2018 Even with advances in DNA testing and other forensic technology, investigators have not been able to track down any substantial leads after reexamining evidence from the crime scene. — Travis Fedschun, Fox News, "Cold case killing of Virginia State Trooper prompts new plea from officer's daughter, reward from FBI," 27 Sep. 2018 What infrastructure, car advances, and features will make our road trips bigger, better, and more efficient than before? — Katherine Lagrave, Condé Nast Traveler, "What the Road Trip Looks Like in 2030," 20 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

To avoid a catastrophe like Gold King, EPA officials now require advance approval for work on many mining sites. — Matthew Brown, The Seattle Times, "50M gallons of polluted water pours daily from US mine sites," 20 Feb. 2019 Particularly notable were his drives to rein in Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal, advance civil rights and set up a system for postwar geopolitical governance. — Amity Shlaes, WSJ, "‘The Improbable Wendell Willkie’ Review: The Great Disruptor," 13 Sep. 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, 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, Washington Post, "What A U.S.-China Trade War Could Mean For The Opioid Epidemic," 9 July 2018 Special counsel Robert Mueller is now investigating the whether people close to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign had advance knowledge of WikiLeaks’ plans. — Michael Balsamo, The Seattle Times, "House GOP campaign arm targeted by ‘unknown entity’ in 2018," 4 Dec. 2018 Then, when questions were raised about Stone’s claims to have advance knowledge of Assange’s plans, Stone put out a story that all his contact with WikiLeaks in 2016 was actually through an intermediary: Credico. — Andrew Prokop, Vox, "Robert Mueller’s investigators just keep questioning Roger Stone’s associates," 11 Aug. 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, 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

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-