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

Up 3–1 in the second set and once again serving for the game, Kyrgios employed the same tactic to his advantage. — Dan Gartland, SI.com, "Nick Kyrgios Bamboozles Rafael Nadal With Two Surprise Underhand Serves," 4 July 2019 Republicans this year used their advantage of control over the governor’s office and majorities in both chambers of the Legislature to change the selection process for judges from a nonpartisan commission to one giving the governor more power. — Washington Post, "Iowa Supreme Court takes a right turn under Gov. Reynolds," 3 July 2019 In his reporting for Fox, Cameron saw Republicans using the internet to their advantage while Democrats held back. — Laney Pope, CNN, "Ex-Fox News reporter says network's prime-time lineup was 'more than I could stand'," 3 July 2019 Democrats fear Trump is adding to his incumbency advantage in the 2020 election, where his official campaign is already out-raising Democrats and building a highly sophisticated digital operation. — Noah Bierman, latimes.com, "Trump uses the trappings of the White House for reelection bid to unprecedented degree," 3 July 2019 But Dustin was ultimately able to use his sweet connection with the pet to his advantage, allowing the group to escape. — Amy Mackelden, Harper's BAZAAR, "What Happened in Season 2 of Stranger Things?," 3 July 2019 The war ended, fortunately for the Allies, before Germany could press its advantage with these weapons. — Safi Bahcall, WIRED, "NASA Needs to Out-Crazy Elon Musk," 3 July 2019 Selecting the Right Grill Portable grills are fueled by lump and briquette charcoal or propane, each with its own advantages. — Roy Berendsohn, Popular Mechanics, "These Are the Best Portable Grills of Summer 2019," 2 July 2019 Late October or early November can bring opportunities for advancement and the good judgment to use them to your advantage. — Tribune Content Agency, oregonlive.com, "Horoscope for July 2, 2019: Aries, think and move fast; Capricorn, you may feel slightly ignored," 2 July 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The evidence suggests that Dr. Hofeller was motivated to recommend the addition of a citizenship question to the 2020 Census to advantage Republicans by diminishing Hispanics’ political power. — Cristian Farias, The New Yorker, "Is There Racist Intent Behind the Census Citizenship Question?," 26 June 2019 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

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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