Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

ahead

 adverb
     
a‧head S2 W2
1

in front

a short distance in front of someone or something [≠ behind]:
He kept his gaze fixed on the car ahead.
ahead of
A hill loomed ahead of them.
We could see the lights of Las Vegas up ahead.
some/a little/a long way ahead
The clinic was now in sight, some way ahead.
straight/dead ahead (=straight in front)
The river is eight miles away dead ahead.
Henry hurried on ahead (=went in front of the others).
2

forward

if someone or something looks or moves ahead, they look or move forward:
He stared straight ahead.
The ship forged ahead through the thin ice.
3

before somebody else

before someone else
ahead of
There were four people ahead of me at the doctor's.
4

future

in the future
ahead of
You have a long trip ahead of you.
Problems may lie ahead.
the years/days/months etc ahead
We do not foresee any major changes in the years ahead.
Unless we plan ahead (=plan for the future) we are going to be in a mess.
5

before an event

before an event happens [= in advance]:
I cook rice two or three hours ahead.
Can you tell me ahead of time if you're coming?
ahead of
He's giving a series of concerts in London ahead of his international tour.
6

ahead of schedule

earlier than planned or arranged:
I arrived at Jack's suite half an hour ahead of schedule.
7

progress/success

making progress and being successful in your job, education etc
get/keep/stay ahead
Getting ahead at work is the most important thing to her at the moment.
8

advanced

ideas, achievements etc that are ahead of others have made more progress or are more developed:
This design is light years ahead (=much more advanced) in performance and comfort.
ahead of your/its time (=very advanced or new, and not understood or accepted)
Coleridge was in many ways far ahead of his time.
9

WINNING

winning in a competition or election:
Two shots from Gardner put the Giants 80-75 ahead.
We are 10 points ahead in the polls.
ahead of
At this stage, Smith appeared to be ahead of his rivals.
10

go ahead

a) spoken used to tell someone they can do something:
'Can I have the sports section?' 'Yeah, go ahead, I've read it.'
b) to do something that was planned, especially in spite of a problem
go ahead with
Frank'll be late but we'll go ahead with the meeting anyway.
c) to take place:
Tests of anti-cancer drugs are to go ahead this year.
 ➔ go-ahead1
11

ahead of the game/curve

American English informal in a position where you are in control of something, and more successful than your competitors:
Belmont city leaders have never been ahead of the curve in environmental matters.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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