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

Sony Vizha will combine original fiction, global reality formats, movies and tentpole entertainment across television and digital platforms ahead of its October debut. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 15 Aug. 2026

Wings coach Jose Fernandez said Fudd is probably ahead of the others on the comeback trail. — James Boyd, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2026

Blistering heat has also raised demand for air conditioning, driving up natural gas consumption at a time when stores need to be refilled ahead of winter. — Hanna Ziady, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026

The carrier continues to expect roughly 4 percent growth in the global container market, meaning Asia-originating trades are running well ahead of overall demand. — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 14 Aug. 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