ahead
- 1So as to be further advanced, whether in space or in some abstract way, or to be in a superior position.
After the merger, the company pulled ahead of its closest rivals.
He studied every night just to stay ahead in his class.
UsageUse ahead of to name who is behind; the size of the lead can come first: two laps ahead of me.
Oppositebehind
- 2Before a particular event or time; beforehand or in advance.
Smart shoppers plan ahead and buy supplies before prices rise.
She paid the rent ahead to avoid any late fees.
UsageCommon in set phrases: plan ahead, call ahead, book ahead, and ahead of time.
Similarbeforehand, early
Oppositelate
- 3In front, or onward in the direction someone is facing or traveling.
The hikers spotted a clearing ahead and quickened their pace.
She kept her eyes ahead as she drove slowly through the fog.
UsageOften straight ahead, just ahead or far ahead; use ahead of to mean in front of someone or something: the road ahead of us.
Note
A word that may have begun at sea. It is a- plus head, perhaps first meaning "beyond the head of a ship" before it came ashore as plain "in front."
- 4In or for the time still to come.
The country faces serious challenges ahead as the climate shifts.
With graduation behind her, she looked forward to the years ahead.
UsageOften right after a noun: the years ahead, hard times ahead. Also after verbs: what lies ahead, look ahead to next year.
Oppositebehind
- 5To an earlier point in time than originally set.
The couple moved their wedding ahead to early May, eager to marry sooner than planned.
Organizers moved the conference ahead by two weeks, holding it earlier to avoid the holiday rush.
UsageMoving a date ahead can mean earlier or later, so name the new date to be clear.
Oppositeback
Note
Moving a deadline ahead can point backward on the calendar toward an earlier date, rather than pushing it later. The Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report of 1985 describes Senate Republicans moving a March 15 deadline ahead to March 1, "eager to get a jump" on the budget. That eagerness is the clue to the direction.
Less common meaning
- 6To a later point in time than originally set.
When daylight saving begins, we move the clocks ahead one hour.
When you fly from Denver to Chicago, remember to set your watch ahead an hour, since Chicago is on Central time.
UsageWith clocks, setting them ahead means forward. With dates it can mean later or earlier, so name the new date.
Similarforward
Note
Deadlines and clocks are where ahead becomes treacherous. Moving a deadline ahead can mean pushing it later: in Charles Edward Weber's Stories of Virtue in Business, a deadline set "ahead a month" runs from September 1 to October 1. Yet the same phrase also serves the opposite, pulling it earlier.
Practice
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Origin
Made by joining a- to head. It may have begun as a sailors' term for "beyond the head (of a ship)," and only later spread into everyday English, where it came to mean "in front of."