Idioms

ahead of

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ahead of (someone or something)

1. In front of something or someone. We have special passes that let us go ahead of other people in line for the ride. Your daughter is one of the best students I've had in years. She has a very bright future ahead of her. I can't believe Caroline lost at the last second. She was ahead of all the other girls the whole race!
2. In advance of something. I made sure to have all of my work done ahead of my vacation. You'll have a good spell of hard work ahead of you, but you'll get paid very well at the end. We've had a real run of luck ahead of the build. The planning permission came through very quickly, the bank approved our second loan application, and the weather is supposed to stay sunny and dry for the next few months.
3. In control of something; in a position to deal with something before it becomes a problem or a burden. So many requests have been pouring in that I simply can't stay ahead of my emails. A: "How is the new project going?" B: "Right on track! Jen kept ahead of it while you were on vacation." Honestly, it's impossible to stay ahead of all the different student issues that are brought to our attention.
See also: ahead, of
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

*ahead of something

ahead or on target with one's work schedule or responsibilities. (*Typically: be ~; get ~; keep ~; remain ~; stay ~.) By the end of the week, I usually can get ahead of my duties, but not by much. Jerry can't seem to get ahead of his work.
See also: ahead, of
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
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References in classic literature
When we halted, as we occasionally did, though sometimes the halts seemed ages apart, he would join in the conversation, as would Ghak the Hairy One, he who was chained just ahead of Dian the Beautiful.
He tried to get one of the Sagoths to move the girl up ahead of him in the slave gang, but the fellow only poked him with his spear and told him that he had selected the girl for his own property--that he would buy her from the Mahars as soon as they reached Phutra.
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"Man is the boss because he's got the head that thinks," Collins preached the lesson; "and he's just got to make his head boss his body, that's all, so that he can think one thought ahead of the animal, and act one act ahead.
Nor, because it came up slowly, and because Collins had anticipated the yawn by being one thought ahead of Hannibal in Hannibal's own brain, was the nose rapped.
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There remained only one obstacle, the most difficult; if he could cross it ahead of the others he would come in first.
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But he is trying to get ahead of me, which may account for my feeling."
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The ape-man, far ahead of him, groped his way along the rocky passage, until he came to the ancient wooden door.
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We submerged very slowly and without headway more than sufficient to keep her nose in the right direction, and as we went down, I saw outlined ahead of us the black opening in the great cliff.
After that it was plain sailing, though as far as I could know, there might be most anything ahead of us, and my nerves strained to the snapping-point every instant.
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As we raced along the coast for one of those seem-ingly interminable periods that may draw hours into eternities where the labor is soul-searing and there is no way to measure time, I saw what I took for the opening to a bay or the mouth of a great river a short distance ahead of us.
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He felt they must be close ahead of him now, and, with a little thrill of expectation, he leaped rapidly forward ahead of the pack.
Thus it was that, though he had put out upon the river but a short time subsequent to the girl, yet she had reached the bay fully two hours ahead of him.
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"The mail is only a mile or two ahead of us; that's one reason why we have to go so slowly.
"The boat train's just ahead of us, sir," he announced.
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"I got up at four o'clock, and came on with all speed, full two or three hours ahead of them, if they start at the time they planned.
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