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

In contrast to concerns about an immigration crackdown in the United States ahead of the World Cup, Canadian officials speaking at the FIFA Congress stressed the nation’s diversity. —Anne M. Peterson, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2026

Both superpowers are hunting for leverage ahead of the meeting next month; China recently blocked a major cross-border tech deal. —Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 30 Apr. 2026

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani touched on a very sensitive international debate ahead of meeting King Charles III on Wednesday by bringing up the controversial ownership of a British crown jewel. —Doha Madani, NBC news, 30 Apr. 2026

Stay ahead of every moment, from theme predictions to who’s wearing who. —Shelby Wax, Vogue, 30 Apr. 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