ahead of

preposition

1

: in front or advance of

2

: in excess of

Synonyms

• afore [chiefly dialect]
• before
• ere
• fore [chiefly dialect]
• 'fore
• of
• previous to
• prior to
• 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 camera needed to get ahead of them to grab frontal, more three-dimensional views of the chase. —Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 21 Mar. 2025

Last week, the U.S. experienced a deadly storm outbreak with over 100 tornadoes and 1000 hail reports, but the National Weather Service provided outstanding warning information ahead of them. —Marshall Shepherd, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025

By pairing environmental responsibility with simplified household routines, Arm & Hammer places itself strategically ahead of market trends, delivering a product that balances practicality and eco-responsibility. —WWD, 21 Mar. 2025

His antics were priced in because Tesla was so undeniably ahead of its competition. —Allison Morrow, CNN, 21 Mar. 2025

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