ahead of

preposition

Synonyms of ahead ofnext
1
: in front or advance of
They were ahead of us in line.
2
: in excess of

Synonyms of ahead of

Relevance
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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
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.
Beef prices, along with the broader cost of living, are also a salient political issue ahead of the 2026 midterms. — Max Saltman, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026 The humidity creeps up Friday evening ahead of several waves of showers and storms Saturday. — Steven Sosna, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026 The crew immediately contacted authorities, and the city’s Medical Examiner moved swiftly to collect the remains ahead of heavy rains coming Thursday evening. — Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 21 Aug. 2026 As of Friday, 124 vessels are waiting to transit the waterway, with 88 of them having booked a space ahead of time. — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 21 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for ahead of

Word History

First Known Use

1613, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of ahead of was in 1613

Rhymes for ahead of

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Browse Nearby Words

ahead
ahead of
ahead of one's/its time
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Ahead of.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ahead%20of. Accessed 22 Aug. 2026.

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Kids Definition

ahead of

preposition
: in or at a place or time before
got ahead of me
we're ahead of schedule
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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