ahead

adverb or adjective

1
a
: in a forward direction or position : forward
b
: in front
2
: in, into, or for the future
plan ahead
3
: in or toward a more advantageous position
helped others to get ahead
4
: at or to an earlier time : in advance
make payments ahead
5
a
: in or into a leading position in a race or competition
a politician who is running ahead in most polls
Josh Carter scored from a yard out and the Pride added a two-point conversion to surge ahead 14-7.Cumberland (Maryland) Times-News
b baseball
(1)
of a pitcher : in or into the situation of having thrown more strikes than balls to a batter
Home run threat Mark Reynolds was up next with the bases loaded, but Colon quickly got ahead 1-2 in the count and struck the third baseman out swinging with a … fastball.Ray Monell
(2)
of a batter : in or into the situation of having a count of more balls than strikes
Albert Pujols got ahead 3-1 and then lined one into the seats in left for his 20th home run of the year and second of the series.John Fay

Examples of ahead in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web But that number will probably be surpassed in the days and weeks ahead. Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 14 Mar. 2024 Additional artists are likely to be announced in the weeks ahead. David Browne, Rolling Stone, 14 Mar. 2024 As adoption of generative AI races ahead, his job as National Coordinator for Health Information Technology under President Joe Biden is to manage this change, and keep it safe and organized. Casey Ross, STAT, 14 Mar. 2024 City council members approved a lease agreement for the new space, moving ahead for the full council's vote. Minnah Arshad, USA TODAY, 13 Mar. 2024 Zadina returned to retrieve the puck and sent a pass ahead to Barabanov, who dropped it off for Kunin. Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2024 The photo gallery ahead will give you a look at every can't-miss outfit from the week, all in one place. Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 12 Mar. 2024 Still too close to officially call more than a week after the election, preliminary tallies from the California secretary of state showed Proposition 1 ahead by less than a percentage point. Taryn Luna, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2024 So go ahead, surround yourself with altruism, and start practicing it today. Talia Varley, Fortune, 12 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ahead.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1568, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of ahead was in 1568

Dictionary Entries Near ahead

Cite this Entry

“Ahead.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ahead. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

ahead

adverb or adjective
1
: in or toward the front
the road ahead
go ahead
2
: in, into, or for the future
think ahead
3
: in or toward a better position
came out $20 ahead on the deal
4
: at or to an earlier time : in advance
make payments ahead

More from Merriam-Webster on ahead

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!