be ahead of (someone or something)

1. To be physically positioned in front of or at a distance from someone or something. They were so far ahead of us that I started walking faster to catch up. I can't believe Caroline lost at the last second. She was ahead of all the other girls the whole race! A: "Wait, you're ahead of me now?" B: "Yeah, I took a shortcut to bypass that busy intersection you got stuck at."

2. To be more advanced (in progress, achievement, etc.) compared to someone or something. I'm ahead of my classmates in ballet because I practice all the time. Our main competitors have been ahead of us in the market for years. A: "How are you so far ahead of us on this report?" B: "Because I worked on it all through lunch."

3. To have more points than an opponent, as in a game or contest. We're only ahead of the other team by one goal, so I'm really nervous that they'll tie it up. We were ahead of them by 25 points at the end of the first half and still lost? Yikes. Thank goodness we're ahead of someone at the end of the first period for a change!