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

The Cubs remained tied with the San Diego Padres for the top wild-card spot, and both moved one game ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies. — Gary Schatz, Chicago Tribune, 20 Sep. 2026

England now boasts a record of 23 wins from its last 26 games in the shortest international format and has moved back ahead of India in the T20 ranking. — ABC News, 19 Sep. 2026

Coach McVay provides injury updates ahead of Monday Night Football. — Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026

Over a tight five-day timeline — as Marnus and Ilse finish school ahead of the December holidays, and the family prepares for their summer vacation — these various tensions impact one another in tacit but perhaps terminal ways. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 19 Sep. 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