advantage
Pluraladvantages
Verbadvantages, advantaging, advantaged
Pluraladvantages
Formsadvantages, advantaging, advantaged
- 1A condition, circumstance, or benefit that puts someone in a better or superior position, or improves their chance of success.
Knowing the local customs gave the travelers a clear advantage.
A larger budget is an obvious advantage in a tight election.
UsageAn advantage over someone; the advantage of a thing. Take advantage of means use well, or unfairly exploit.
- 2
- 3In tennis, the scoring state after deuce in which a player who wins one point needs only the next point to take the game.
After several deuces, the server finally earned advantage and closed out the game.
Losing the rally at advantage forced them back to deuce once again.
UsageA called score, usually with no article: a player earns advantage or is at advantage.
Similarad
Note
The state is unstable by design. Win the next point and the game is over; lose it and the score drops back to deuce. That is why a long game can pass through advantage again and again.
Less common meanings
- 4In soccer, the referee's decision to let play continue after a foul, because halting it would penalize the team that was fouled.
The official played advantage, and the striker scored seconds later.
When the midfielder was tripped, the referee allowed advantage and the move continued.
UsageThe referee plays advantage (or plays an advantage) and lets the game go on.
Note
BBC Sport's report of Arsenal 5–2 Tottenham in 2012 uses it of Webb, whose decision let Cazorla's cross reach Giroud. The name follows the general sense of benefit: the whistle stays silent because the fouled side is better off with the ball still moving.
- 5Mastery or control over another person; the position of having got the better of someone.
Lest Satan should get an advantage of us.
1611, The Holy Bible, King James VersionNote
Older English used this word for mastery over a person, a sense now obsolete. The King James Bible of 1611 warns "Lest Satan should get an advantage of us": gain mastery over us. The noun took of or over to name the party outdone. Keep it for quoting or imitating older English; the living sense is superiority as benefit or gain.
Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 5 facts
- Advantage historically meant mastery or superiority over someone. en.wiktionary.org
- The King James Bible was first published in 1611. en.wikipedia.org
- The quoted warning occurs in the King James Bible, at 2 Corinthians 2:11. en.wikisource.org
- Advantage in this biblical passage means mastery or superiority. gutenberg.org
- Of could also introduce the party outdone: in the quoted verse, us names that party. Both of and over occurred with this sense. en.wikisource.org
- 6To act for one's own benefit by making use of something; to take advantage of it.
No man of courage vouchsafeth to advantage himselfe [translating s'avantager] of that which is common unto many.
1603, Michel de Montaigne, The Essayes - 7An extra amount given beyond the exact count, such as interest on money or the thirteenth loaf in a baker's dozen.
And with advantage means to pay thy love.
c. 1596, William Shakespeare, “The Life and Death of King Iohn”
Showing meanings only.
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Origin
From Middle English avantage, from Old French avantage, from avant ("before"), which comes from Late Latin ab ante. The spelling with d arose from a latinizing hypercorrection, since the a- was falsely supposed to derive from Latin ad.
Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 4 facts
- Advantage derives from Middle English avantage, borrowed from Old French avantage. en.wiktionary.org
- Old French avantage derives from avant, meaning before. en.wiktionary.org
- Old French avant derives from Late Latin ab ante. en.wiktionary.org
- The d spelling arose through a latinizing hypercorrection based on mistakenly identifying a- with Latin ad. en.wiktionary.org