ahead of

preposition

1
: in front or advance of
2
: in excess of

Examples of ahead of in a Sentence

She got ahead of me. They went on ahead of us and by now are several miles ahead of us. We have some hard work ahead of us. The polls show that he is ahead of the other candidates. The company is working hard to stay one step ahead of the competition. They were trailing us by 5 points earlier in the game, but now they're ahead of us by 7.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Call the center ahead of time (501) 710-6285 to confirm. Flip Putthoff, Arkansas Online, 20 May 2025 Per the format of the podcast, one host will know the special guest ahead of time, while their appearance will be a surprise to the other two hosts and the crowd. Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 20 May 2025 Both tour legs are tied to the book release dates, Oct. 7 in North America and Sept. 18 in the U.K. Presale for the tour will begin on Wednesday, May 21, at 10 a.m. local time, ahead of the general sale beginning Friday, May 23, at 10 a.m. local time. Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 20 May 2025 This puts it far ahead of current lock-on-target drone guidance in Ukraine which simply flies directly at the target. David Hambling, Forbes.com, 20 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for ahead of

Word History

First Known Use

1613, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of ahead of was in 1613

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Cite this Entry

“Ahead of.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ahead%20of. Accessed 23 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

ahead of

preposition
: in or at a place or time before
got ahead of me
we're ahead of schedule
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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