advantage

noun

ad·van·tage | \ əd-ˈvan-tij

Definition of advantage

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : superiority of position or condition Higher ground gave the enemy the advantage.

2 : a factor or circumstance of benefit to its possessor lacked the advantages of an education

3a : benefit, gain especially : benefit resulting from some course of action a mistake which turned out to our advantage

b obsolete : interest sense 3a

4 : the first point won in tennis after deuce

to advantage

: so as to produce a favorable impression or effect wishing to be seen to advantage

advantage

verb

advantaged; advantaging

Definition of advantage (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

: to give an advantage to : benefit Government does not know how to strengthen all families, and no public policy avoids advantaging some families while implicitly asking others to wait in the queue.— Martin Neil Baily

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about advantage

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Examples of advantage in a Sentence

Noun

Higher ground gave the enemy the advantage. He has an unfair advantage over us because of his wealth. His plan has the advantage of being less expensive than other options. He lacked the advantages of an advanced education. Speed is an advantage in most sports. The company's only advantage over the competition is its location. Applicants for this job will find that previous experience is an advantage. Being able to set your own schedule is one of the advantages of owning a business. Among the advantages of a small college is its campus life. There isn't any advantage in leaving early.

Verb

there's no question that that bicycle racer was significantly advantaged by a great set of genes

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

One advantage that a new house has over an old one is a more modern layout, a blueprint that acknowledges how families live today. — Nancy Hass, ELLE Decor, "This Brian J. McCarthy-Designed Hamptons Home is Filled with the Unexpected," 13 Mar. 2019 One advantage Steyer would bring to the race, according to his team, is a network of more than 6 million grass-roots supporters built through his Need to Impeach effort. — Dino Grandoni, The Seattle Times, "California billionaire Tom Steyer inches closer to 2020 White House bid," 20 Nov. 2018 The Roxie also doubles as a performance space, and Dior took full advantage. — Ashley W. Simpson, Vogue, "Dior Thinks Pink at a Dinner Celebrating a New Line of Lip Colors," 26 Feb. 2019 During our colder months of the year, take advantage of our many fireplaces located in all the cottages and our public spaces. — Hannah Seligson, Town & Country, "The Best Room At... Winvian Farm," 19 Feb. 2019 And Trump, in failing to stand up for US allies or reneging on international commitments, has created opportunities for competitors such as Russia and China to take advantage of America’s retreat. — Jen Kirby, Vox, "Mattis’s resignation was a scathing indictment of Trump’s foreign policy," 21 Dec. 2018 Take advantage of these opportunities in high school because earning outside scholarships in college could be a lot more competitive. — Fresh U, Teen Vogue, "7 Things You Should Actually Do When Applying to Colleges," 20 Nov. 2018 The prefab cabin is nestled into the woods and takes full advantage of its picturesque surroundings with large windows and a generous deck. — Liz Stinson, Curbed, "Chic black chalet does cabin in the woods right," 9 Nov. 2018 Take advantage of the fact that hostas emerge late and plant the large open expanses with spring-flowering bulbs and ephemeral wildflowers such as toothworts (Dentaria), spring beauties (Claytonia), and trout lilies (Erythronium). — Kris Wetherbee, Good Housekeeping, "How to Grow the Most Stunning Hostas," 7 Aug. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

As Philip Ewing explained at NPR, this could advantage the FBI in several ways: Investigators might glean details from people involved that aren’t yet in the public eye. — German Lopez, Vox, "The FBI’s limited investigation into the Kavanaugh sexual assault allegations, explained," 3 Oct. 2018 One of the arguments that Silicon Valley companies make is that the government advantages Chinese companies. — Eric Johnson, Recode, "If they don’t want to lose their jobs to a machine, doctors will need to become compassionate ‘human connectors’," 17 Sep. 2018 The latter, advantaged in Congress by the seniority system, worked with Republicans to bottle up legislative proposals for civil rights and labor reform. — Sam Rosenfeld, Vox, "The Democratic Party is moving steadily leftward. So why does the left still distrust it?," 22 June 2018 The turnout disparity suggests partisan enthusiasm doesn’t uniformly advantage Democrats and may vary from state to state. — Karl Rove, WSJ, "Don’t Write Off the Republicans Yet," 9 May 2018 Children in wealthy private schools or affluent public schools should not get a head start and advantage in the new economy because their school has more money. — Amy Chance, sacbee, "'Not all machines are evil,' and other thoughts on California's changing economy," 2 July 2018 Majority groups that have been unfairly advantaged for too long see any even minute reduction in that unfair advantage as an all-out attack. — David Yang And Nimit Maru, Recode, "We need more women in tech in order to get more women in tech," 21 June 2018 Gerrymandering — drawing district lines to advantage one party — is a practice that both sides across the country have engaged in over the decades. — Craig Gilbert, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Wisconsin redistricting: Here's what you need to know about imminent Supreme Court ruling," 13 June 2018 This is gonna be a continent-by-continent game and some businesses are gonna be advantaged on one continent versus another. — Matthew Belloni, The Hollywood Reporter, "AT&T’s John Stankey Talks WarnerMedia Plans, Netflix Spending, DC Movies and CNN Politics," 18 June 2018

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

History and Etymology for advantage

Noun

alteration (with initial a- taken as assimilated form of Latin ad- ad-) of Middle English avauntage, borrowed from Anglo-French avantage, from avant "before" (going back to Latin abante) + -age -age — more at advance entry 1

Verb

alteration (after advantage entry 1) of Middle English avauntagen, borrowed from Anglo-French avauntager, verbal derivative of avauntage, avantage advantage entry 1

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