ahead
adverb or adjective
1
a
: in a forward direction or position : forward
b
: in front
2
: in, into, or for the future
plan ahead
3
: in or toward a more advantageous position
helped others to get ahead
4
: at or to an earlier time : in advance
make payments ahead
5
a
: in or into a leading position in a race or competition
a politician who is running ahead in most polls
Josh Carter scored from a yard out and the Pride added a two-point conversion to surge ahead 14-7.—
Cumberland (Maryland) Times-News
Cumberland (Maryland) Times-News
b
baseball
(1)
of a pitcher
: in or into the situation of having thrown more strikes than balls to a batter
Home run threat Mark Reynolds was up next with the bases loaded, but Colon quickly got ahead 1-2 in the count and struck the third baseman out swinging with a … fastball.—Ray Monell
Ray Monell
(2)
of a batter
: in or into the situation of having a count of more balls than strikes
Albert Pujols got ahead 3-1 and then lined one into the seats in left for his 20th home run of the year and second of the series.—John Fay
John FayExamples of ahead in a Sentence
call ahead for reservations
sent me ahead to get a place in the check-out line while she went to get the eggs and milk
the line moved ahead at a snail's pace
Recent Examples on the Web
Ultimately, with more choices to make, from which location to visit or whether to focus on Grogu’s antics or the action ahead, Smugglers Run feels more dynamic.
—Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 21 May 2026
With the Eagles 14 points down against the Green Bay Packers in the Divisional Round, Philly tied the game with two fourth-quarter touchdowns before Green Bay went 17-14 ahead through a field goal.
—Elias Burke, New York Times, 21 May 2026
In the years ahead, a lunar lander configuration of Starship will be critical to NASA's ambitions of returning astronauts to the moon under its Artemis program.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 20 May 2026
There’s a long road ahead before Colossal attempts a moa resurrection using this artificial egg system.
—Adithi Ramakrishnan, Fortune, 20 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for ahead
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Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 21 May 2026
With the Eagles 14 points down against the Green Bay Packers in the Divisional Round, Philly tied the game with two fourth-quarter touchdowns before Green Bay went 17-14 ahead through a field goal.
—Elias Burke, New York Times, 21 May 2026
In the years ahead, a lunar lander configuration of Starship will be critical to NASA's ambitions of returning astronauts to the moon under its Artemis program.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 20 May 2026
There’s a long road ahead before Colossal attempts a moa resurrection using this artificial egg system.
—Adithi Ramakrishnan, Fortune, 20 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for ahead
Cite this Entry
“Ahead.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ahead. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
ahead
adverb or adjective1
: in or toward the front
the road ahead
go ahead
2
: in, into, or for the future
think ahead
3
: in or toward a better position
came out $20 ahead on the deal
4
: at or to an earlier time : in advance
make payments ahead
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