GETTING AHEAD Synonyms: 23 Similar and Opposite Words

getting ahead

phrase

present participle of get ahead

as in making it

to reach a desired level of accomplishment a recent college graduate trying to get ahead in the working world

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Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of getting ahead Gausman opened the following inning by getting ahead of Murakami 0-2 but followed with three straight balls, and the Sox slugger unloaded on a low fastball. — Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 19 Aug. 2026 So Nvidia’s getting ahead of the whole debacle to find the next pool of money. — Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 12 Aug. 2026 Not getting ahead of ourselves, Barça needs to think of the here and now in terms of squad planning. — Tom Sanderson, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026 Erceg appeared to shake it off, quickly getting ahead of Royce Lewis 0-2 in the count. — Dan Hayes, New York Times, 31 July 2026 To these teens, the stakes for getting ahead of AI are clear. — Cory Turner, NPR, 30 July 2026 Speaker Mike Johnson is getting ahead of another potential shutdown that could be politically risky for Republicans. — Jarrell Dillard, Washington Post, 17 July 2026 For many South Floridians, however, getting ahead financially feels easier said than done. — Bonnie Laden, CBS News, 14 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for getting ahead

Phrase

An inmate ran out of a preliminary hearing at the Fairfield Courthouse Tuesday afternoon, knocking down a deputy district attorney and making it out of the courtroom before he was quickly apprehended, the Solano County Sheriff's Office said.

— Richard Ramos, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026
Pitt has no financial interest in the film, and his Plan B production company was not involved in making it.

— Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of making it

Phrase

If the payoff is deferred to the end, the years spent getting there went uncollected too.

— Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026
The case for reparations is grounded in the fact that there is a universe bigger than a Black person’s, and getting there means establishing an ongoing material and social plan for racial reckoning.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 July 2026

Definition of getting there

Phrase

Slap added that the registry could help make post-secondary education more accessible by making good information widely available to prospective students in the state.

— Kat Ramkumar, Hartford Courant, 9 Aug. 2026
Real readiness comes from time behind the wheel, merging into fast-moving lanes, reacting to other drivers’ mistakes and making good decisions when conditions are less than ideal.

— David Etue, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026