ahead of

preposition

1

: in front or advance of

They were ahead of us in line.

2

: in excess of

Synonyms of ahead of

• before
• prior to
• in advance of
• to

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

Croix Bethune scored a one-touch equalizer in the 52nd minute and Temwa Chawinga put the hosts ahead of the San Diego Wave with a strike in the 61st. — The Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 18 July 2026

England went ahead of Argentina in the 55th minute of their semifinal, but Messi found another gear and set up both late goals to break England’s hearts and keep Argentina’s run alive. — Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 18 July 2026

The pair continued trash-talking one another ahead of and during the Fanatics Flag Football Classic in March. — Angelique Jackson, Variety, 18 July 2026

In a previous backstage segment, CM Punk tried to advise Cody Rhodes against facing Gunther ahead of tomorrow’s main event, where two combatants could be added to the main event. — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 18 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1613, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for ahead of

• above
• foxglove
• hereof
• thereof
• whereof
• dove
• glove
• love
• shove
• hereinabove

Kids Definition

ahead of

preposition

: in or at a place or time before

got ahead of me

we're ahead of schedule