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.
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.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.