aheadadv.prep.adj.
/əˈhɛd/, U.S. /əˈhɛd/ In early use chiefly in Nautical contexts, with reference to a ship's head (head n.1 22b).
A. adv.† 1. With run, in figurative contexts: headlong; unrestrainedly, rashly, hastily. Cf. on head (head n.1 Phrases 1i(c)(i)). Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > manner of action > rapidity or speed of action or operation > [adverb] > hastily or hurriedly > foolishly or recklessly
belly-flaughtc1375
headlinga1398
headlingsc1400
hastilyc1405
hastlyc1425
overheadc1440
headilya1500
headlongc1500
ahead1530
headlongsc1540
precipitately1615
precipitantly1642
precipitously1646
precipitiously1653
splash-dash1807
ram-stam1808
rum-strum1827
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement iii. f. 345 I Runne a heed to any purpose... He ronneth a heed as is fantasye leadeth hym.
1571 A. Golding tr. J. Calvin Psalmes of Dauid with Comm. (xlvi. 11) When men ronne a head without advisement, there is no roome for moderatenesse [L. moderatio].
1589 T. White Serm. Paules Crosse 17 Nov. 1589 8 They runne ahead following the streame, despising both Iohn and Christ.
1644 J. Milton Doctr. Divorce (ed. 2) To Parl. sig. A4v Such whose capacity, since their youth run ahead into the easie creek of a System,..sayls there at will under the blown physiognomy of their unlabour'd rudiments.
1692 R. L'Estrange Fables 93 They suffer 'em [sc. men] at first to Run-a head, and when Perverse Inclinations are Advanc'd once into Habits, there's No Dealing with 'em.
2. In a position to the front (of a person or thing); at some point in one's direct line of motion or vision. In early use frequently in right ahead. Cf. on head (head n.1 Phrases 1i(c)(ii)).Breakers ahead!: see breaker n.1 5.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > front > [adverb]
aforeOE
forneOE
beforeOE
aforewarda1200
afornonc1275
toforec1330
onwardc1385
bifornysc1420
forouth1487
ahead1568
afrontc1570
forwardly1578
anteriorly1598
foremostly1607
devant1609
forward1619
forward on1630
front-wise1774
vanward1827
out front1934
upfront1937
the world > space > direction > specific directions > [adverb] > in forward direction > in direction of motion
ahead1725
1568 T. Hacket tr. A. Thevet New Found Worlde lx. f. 96 Sodainly the winde dydde chaunge euen ryght a heade to the North, and Northwest.
?1574 W. Bourne Regiment for Sea xiv. sig. K.ivv The one place must be thwarte of you, the other must be a head or sterne of you.
1643 W. Smith Severall Lett. 3 We cut and also came aground a little ahead of her.
1670 J. Covel Diary in J. T. Bent Early Voy. Levant (1893) 129 Newes was brought in by one of our powder monkey's..that there were five great ships a Head, coming stem for stem towards us.
1725 D. Defoe New Voy. round World ii. 174 They saw it just before them, or, as the Seaman call it, Right a Head.
1796 tr. C.-F. du P. Dumouriez Life I. ii. iv. 425 Blocks of granite..had been collected with an intention to build a fort on the rocks ahead of Homet.
1849 J. G. Bruff Jrnl. 9 July in Gold Rush (1944) I. i. 119 Road over high sandy arid plains—very level & dusty. Outrunners of the Rocky Mountains ahead.
1885 T. W. Knox Voy. Vivian to N. Pole xvii. 242 The iceberg..was almost dead ahead.
1910 Busy Man's Mag. Dec. 65/1 On either side were swift hills mottled with green and gold, ahead a curdle of snow-capped mountains.
1972 Field & Stream Dec. 74/1 Just ahead, beyond the aspens, I could see the grass of a large meadow.
1996 S. Saylor Murder on Appian Way (1997) 170 Mount Alba loomed straight ahead of us.
2008 R. Beard Becoming Drusilla (2009) xi. 246 We see two walkers up ahead.
3.
a. At the front of a (moving) group; in or into an advanced position; in the lead. Frequently with reference to a contest or competition. Also with of.to nose ahead, to shoot ahead, etc.: see the verbs.streets ahead: see street n. and adj. Phrases 6c.
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the world > movement > progressive motion > order of movement > going first or in front > [adverb]
beforeeOE
aforeOE
toforec1330
forthwitha1400
forwitha1400
forouth1487
ahead1578
foremostly1607
on1792
forward1838
1578 G. Best True Disc. Passage to Cathaya iii. 5 The Admirall shal carrie the light, and after his light be once put out, no man to go a head of him.
a1665 K. Digby Jrnl. Voy. to Mediterranean (1868) 2 That the Admirall..shall each seuerall night goe ahead.
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Æneis v, in tr. Virgil Wks. 333 And now the mighty Centaur seems to lead, And now the speedy Dolphin gets a head.
1760 in Narragansett Hist. Reg. (1883) Oct. 109 I am 200 ahead in the proxies.
1782 R. Orme Hist. Fragm. Mogul Empire (1783) 213 The troops..were always to be two days a-head of the emperor.
1844 B. Disraeli Coningsby II. v. iv. 272 We have polled all our dead men, and Millbank is seven a-head.
1856 R. A. Vaughan Hours with Mystics I. vii. 295 My companion, young and active, had gone on about two miles ahead.
1923 Boys' Life May 33/1 Tom knew the road and waited until Spike was well ahead before starting.
1946 Times 14 Oct. 2/5 With the game but five minutes old Stoke City should have been two goals ahead.
2004 G. Erickson & L. Lorentzen Raising Bar v. 209 You can win by sprinting out ahead of the peloton at the end of a race.
b. With of. Earlier than predicted (by a plan or schedule); in a good or advantageous position (with regard to an estimated budget, target, outcome, etc.).
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1859 N.Y. Times 19 Feb. 2/3 The last Eastern mail arrived six hours ahead of schedule time.
1881 Engin. & Mining Jrnl. 19 Nov. 341/1 In our mine work, we are ahead of estimates made in May last.
1935 Nevada State Jrnl. 1 July 1/5 This left the treasury $1,369,418,338 ahead of budget estimates.
1982 Cincinnati Mag. July 26/2 Thomas and his partners are doing quite nicely, thank you. ‘We're way ahead of projections,’ Thomas enthuses.
1992 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 14 Mar. 662/3 Junior doctors will be on a maximum 72 hour week in 1993, a year ahead of target.
2007 M. Dobson & H. Feickert Six Dimensions Project Managem. vi. 54 If General Schwartzkopf had lost Desert Storm, no one would have cared that he came in ahead of schedule or under budget.
c. Originally U.S. Without of. With reference to a person, company, etc.: in a profitable or advantageous position; to the good (sometimes by a specified amount). With reference to a profit: higher in amount or value than previously.Cf. ahead of the game at Phrases 4a.
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1878 J. H. Beadle Western Wilds xxxviii. 611 My sheep had done well, and that was all I was ahead.
1904 W. H. Smith Promoters i. 21 We can go on and finish our plant, and be ahead every dollar that they've blown in!
1947 N.Y. Times 9 Feb. 30/1 Belgium is still ahead in the wildest poker game in Europe.
1983 Globe & Mail (Toronto) (Nexis) 29 Oct. After lower tax of 17.3 million pounds..profit was slightly ahead at 38 million pounds.
1996 Akron (Ohio) Beacon Jrnl. (Nexis) 7 Jan. e1 The Bloomberg Northeast Ohio Index finished the year ahead just 14.73 percent.
2004 J. McCarthy Pasadena xxxvi. 289 He liked the dealers at Caesar's Palace, and overall he was ahead although only by a few thousand dollars.
4. In a position facing forward; in a direction forward from such a position.Also with verb of sight in the sense ‘toward the future’, passing into sense A. 6b. Cf. to look ahead at look v. Phrasal verbs 1.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > direction > specific directions > [adverb] > in forward direction
beforeOE
forwarda1535
ahead1596
front-wise1774
vanward1827
frontward1865
1596 F. Vere Comm. 32 Their ships lay thwart with their broadsides towards us, and most of us right a-head, that we could use but our chasing pieces.
1782 J. Dent Candidate iii. 27 Damn me, I always like to look a-head before I sail.
1823 J. F. Cooper Pioneers I. iii. 45 One who looked far ahead to the wants of posterity.
1873 Brit. Q. Rev. Jan. 57/2 To enable the four guns carried in it to be fired directly ahead or astern.
1919 Outing Mar. 335/1 The big toe can point straight ahead as it should, instead of being shoved off at an uncomfortable angle.
1989 C. M. Lalli & R. W. Gilmer Pelagic Snails 75 Members of the shelled genus Peraclis move through the water with the apex of the shell facing ahead.
1993 R. N. Patterson Degree of Guilt 153 Terri gazed ahead, walking in tandem with Caldwell.
2006 L. Holeman Moonlit Cage xiv. 120 I sat, facing ahead, until I heard stifled laughter, whispers, and coughs as the room behind me filled.
5. With verbs of motion: so as to go forward; forward, onward. Later frequently in figurative contexts: so as to proceed or progress.See also to get ahead at get v. Phrasal verbs 1, to go ahead at go v. Phrasal verbs 1.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > forward movement > [adverb]
awayeOE
forneOE
forthc1000
forthwardc1175
furtherlyc1175
toforec1330
forea1400
forwarda1400
furtherwarda1400
avauntc1400
forwardsc1400
onwardc1425
toward1426
forouth1487
up to ——1516
forth on1529
onwards1540
aheada1615
forrita1796
advancingly1820
onwardly1831
forwardly1876
a1615 D. Middleton in S. Purchas Pilgrimes (1625) I. 245 Wee tooke leaue of them, and bore ahead, and the ninth of October arriued in Bantam Roade.
1626 J. Smith Accidence Young Sea-men 27 Break ground, or way Anchor, heaue a head.
1635 L. Foxe North-west Fox 135 Then hee could run a head before with both top-sayles on trip.
1738 B. Stibbs Jrnl. Voy. Gambia, 1723 in F. Moore Trav. Inland Parts Afr. 264 Even the Ebbs are so weak, that with the least Breath of a fair Wind we can go ahead.
1762 W. Falconer Shipwreck i. 9 The boats with rowers mann'd, are sent a-head.
1837 Army & Navy Chron. 26 Jan. 54/2 Ought we not much more eagerly to go ahead with a plan to ensure the saving of both money and life?
1898 Jrnl. Brit. Homœpathic Soc. Jan. 81 It was of the utmost importance that they should push ahead with their investigations.
1921 Sci. Amer. 2 Apr. 267 A Diesel-electric operated boat can change from full speed ahead to full speed reverse in..seconds.
1966 J. G. Ballard Crystal World ix. 147 Winded by the blow, Sanders stumbled ahead.
1981 M. J. Buhle Women & Amer. Socialism, 1870–1920 (1983) iii. 129 Meta continued to forge ahead with her studies.
2002 S. R. Murphy Cat laughing Last 309 They moved ahead into a large living room.
6. With reference to time.
a. In the future (of someone or something).
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > relative time > the past > antecedence or being earlier > [adverb] > in advance or beforehand
yeteOE
forea1225
beforehand?c1225
alreadyc1300
forrow1489
aforehanda1500
sincea1556
tofore1597
forwarda1604
preventively1646
anticipatelya1677
ahead1835
anticipatively1864
anticipatorily1878
1835 R. F. Astrop Orig. Poems 26 They knew his [sc. Death's] kingdom lay ahead.
1880 Good Company 4 495/1 I do hope there is some reward ahead.
1895 Green Bag May 225/2 Nothing seemed more certain than that there was a long and successful life ahead of him.
1907 G. B. Shaw Major Barbara i in John Bull's Other Island 191 Charles Lomax will be a millionaire at 35. But that is ten years ahead.
1990 J. Meyerson 'Tambo xxiv. 214 The whole of the harvest was still ahead of us.
2010 J. F. Pastor Terrorism & Public Safety Planning iv. 139 Violent crime rates are likely to increase in the years ahead.
b. In anticipation of something in the future; before a particular event, time, etc.; beforehand. Also with of.to plan ahead, to think ahead: see the verbs.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > relative time > the past > antecedence or being earlier > [adverb] > in advance or beforehand > in advance of
ahead1838
1838 J. Sanderson Sketches of Paris 281 You have to bespeak her a week ahead.
1888 Memorial Catal. French & Dutch Loan Coll. 43 Charles Jacque..appeared, some years ahead of Millet, as a painter of rustic subjects.
1894 Physical Educ. May 58/1 Some weeks ahead some of the most prominent members..were interviewed.
1922 J. Joyce Ulysses iii. xvi. [Eumaeus] 574 They're full up for the next three weeks, man. God, you've to book ahead, man.
1982 Times 27 Feb. 13/2 Ahead of results on Monday Barclays Bank shed 5p to 351p.
2010 Independent 18 Oct. 27/1 Discontent is growing ahead of next month's mid-term elections.
B. prep.
In a position facing toward; to the front of; in or into a more advanced position than. rare after 17th cent. Later examples may represent the adverb, being misspellings or typographical errors for ahead of.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > front > in front of [preposition]
toforea900
aforeeOE
atforec1000
forneOE
beforeOE
forne toc1175
afornonc1275
forne an, atc1275
forouthc1375
aforewardc1380
before the face ofa1382
forwitha1400
forne inc1540
afront1558
ahead1578
in (the) front of1609
in advance1656
forward of1838
front of1843
1578 W. Bourne Treasure for Traueilers iii. ix. f. 20 These ships wyll goe well a head the sea, that is to say, the Ship to stande close by the winde in such places as the grating of the tyde doth cause the sea to come agaynst the head or bowes of the Ship.
1596 F. Vere Comm. 32 Sir Walter Raleigh came upon my left side with his ship; and very little a head me cast his anchor.
1622 L. Digges tr. G. de Céspedes y Meneses Gerardo ii. 378 They began to row so stoutly, that in a very little time they were gotten two Leagues a-head the land.
1633 T. James Strange Voy. 22 In the afternoone (it being something hazye) we saw some breaches ahead vs.
1877 M. D. Chellis Ten Cents xi. 187 I thought I was on the track of a job this morning, but Pat Brogan got ahead me.
1905 W. R. A. Wilson Knot of Blue xii. 148 I saw the figure of my friend ahead me, and hastened my pace to overtake him.
C. adj.
Originally and chiefly Nautical. Designating movement forward or onward; of, relating to, or facilitating such movement, esp. of a vessel.
ΚΠ
1864 Trans. Inst. Naval Architects 5 112 As soon as any sternway came on her, she was again stopped and the ahead action put on, and in that way she can be turned on her own centre.
1899 Engineering 24 Feb. 253/1 When the bow propeller is working in the ahead direction..it apparently contributes very little or absolutely nothing to the propulsion of the ship.
1906 Monthly Rev. Aug. 41 The Viper actually attained an ahead speed of 37 knots.
1914 Jrnl. Amer. Soc. Naval Engineers Feb. 222 Three impulse-reaction water-turbine wheels, the after two for giving ahead motion and the forward one for backing motion.
1922 S. M. Robinson Electr. Ship Propulsion xiii. 236 To go ahead... (a) Close ahead lever.
1979 Responding to Casualties of Ships bearing Hazardous Cargoes (National Acad. Sci.) 123 All propulsion was lost and the ahead movement of the vessel slowed.
2005 R. C. Cooke Pride runs Deep 70 The helm responded and Mackerel slowed her backward motion, came to a complete stop, then slowing picked up speed in the ahead direction.
Phrases
P1. ahead of one's time: advanced or innovative by the standards of the time in question; having or using the latest ideas or technology. Also (usually hyphenated) as adj.
ΚΠ
1832 F. R. Hassler Compar. Weights & Meas. 98 If such an establishment is not ahead of its time..it very soon drops back.
1857 S. Smiles Life George Stephenson xxvi. 350 In this, as in some other matters, Mr. Stephenson was rather ahead of his time.
1920 Outlook 25 Aug. 705/3 The company was years ahead of its time in recognizing its employees as men instead of cogs in an industrial wheel.
1977 Time 21 Nov. 15 (advt.) Seiko has maintained its position as world leader in Digital Quartz by consistently introducing new, ahead-of-their-time watches.
2011 J. Darnton Almost Family 134 In terms of women's rights and what women wanted to read, she was way ahead of her time.
P2. ahead of time: early; before a particular event or time; beforehand.
ΚΠ
1850 Holden's Dollar Mag. Mar. 210/2 At least an hour ahead of time.
1884 J. Habberton Bowsham Puzzle xxi. 147 Trains are never ahead of time.
1946 Pop. Mech. Sept. 256 Noone knows ahead of time how they will be affected.
1965 A. J. P. Taylor Eng. Hist. 1914–45 viii. 272 Henderson..secured the withdrawal of Allied troops from the Rhineland five years ahead of time.
2006 L. Stack Find more Time iii. 111 Keep a list of things to do ahead of time.
P3. to get (also run, be) ahead of oneself ahead of oneself: to proceed with something before the expected or appropriate time, to do or say something early and out of sequence; (also) to presumptuously assume an outcome before it has occurred.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > a suitable time or opportunity > untimeliness > [adverb] > early, too early, or prematurely
ratheOE
oversoona1400
overtimelya1400
untimeously1513
before his (also her, etc.) time1545
abortively1552
immaturely1572
untimelya1586
forwardlya1641
prematurely1641
premature1754
ahead of oneself1854
over-early1856
beforetimes1885
1854 B. St. John Purple Tints Paris xxvii No one seems to look upon the defunct Republic as anything but an impertinent attempt to get ahead of ourselves.
1880 M. M. Mathews Ten Years in Nevada vi. 144 He was so greedy that he had got ahead of himself; for if the house had burned, neither he nor I would have got anything.
1906 M. O. Wright Garden, you & I 92 You cannot possibly guess with what we were threatened, but I am running ahead of myself.
1941 J. Grenfell Let. 28 Dec. in Darling Ma (1989) 325 But I've got ahead of myself. Did I tell you that I'd sent Mrs Proctor and her little girls home for Christmas?
1985 F. Michaels Texas Rich (1987) i. x. 159 Little Maggie..is doing fine. Nurse Jenkins seems to think she's a bit ahead of herself, gobbling down six bottles a day.
1992 P. Auster Leviathan (1993) iii. 138 The waltz of disasters went on... But that was later, and I don't want to run ahead of myself.
2000 Independent 10 June ii. 9/6 Meanwhile, Penguin got rather ahead of themselves and had ‘Orange Prizewinner’ stickers printed for Zadie Smith's much-fancied White Teeth.
P4.
a. Originally U.S. ahead of the game: (of a gambler or speculator) in profit with regard to a particular game or venture; (more generally) in a profitable or advantageous position; ahead of one's adversaries, competitors, or peers.
ΚΠ
1850 H. G. Bohn et al. Hand-bk. Games 574 Leaving a hazard or canon... Do not be deterred from this, by the circumstance of your adversary being ahead of the game.
1873 T. W. Knox Underground l. 729 He was then ahead of the game nearly one thousand dollars, and the demon of avarice was fully aroused in his soul.
1892 Hornesville (N.Y.) Weekly Tribune 15 May I made my first real start on a speculation. I won at it and quit ahead of the game.
1927 H. W. Laidler & N. Thomas Prosperity? i. 29 Assuming..that rent would come down at that time to an extent of 25 or 30 or 50 percent, the financiers will still be ahead of the game.
1985 Los Angeles Times (Nexis) 30 June ii. 1 In terms of security procedures, L.A. International may be ‘ahead of the game’ compared to other airports.
2003 P. Lovesey House Sitter (2004) xii. 169 I get the impression of a cold-blooded killer at work here..figuring he's so far ahead of the game he can safely post his intentions.
b. Originally Gambling. to quit while one is ahead and variants: to stop doing something while one is still successful.
ΚΠ
1879 A. Pinkerton Mississippi Outlaws 235 If you will take my advice, you will stop while you are ahead. You know, from your own experience as a banker, that the ‘bank’ always wins in the end.
1891 Illustr. London News 14 Nov. 624/2 There, I've won six louis, and I'm going to quit while I'm ahead.
1894 Atchison (Kansas) Daily Globe 15 Dec. 2/6 The Midland college foot ball club decided to quit while it was ahead, and has disbanded.
1948 Billboard 13 Mar. 31/4 The smartest thing Kent did was to get off while he was ahead... He didn't wear out his welcome.
1977 N.Y. Mag. 9 May 81/1 There was a moment..when we discussed the possibility of quitting while we were ahead.
1985 Times 25 May Saturday section 18/4 Leave..just before anyone else wants you to. Get out while you're ahead, and then keep coming back at them from different directions.
2004 C. Graham Ghost in Machine (2005) 29 Quit while you're ahead, boyo. While you can still sound sincere.
P5. Chiefly Business and Marketing (originally U.S.). ahead of the curve: better than predicted or expected; ahead of the competition; in a position to anticipate or initiate the latest developments. Also ahead of the power curve (cf. power curve n. 1).
ΚΠ
1926 Los Angeles Times 6 June 11/8 The common brick business refuses to follow the curves set up for the construction industry by some of the widely promoted statistical agencies. It is going ahead of the curve.
1974 Sun (Lowell, Mass.) 21 May 30/1 Repeatedly Nixon and his top aides spoke of ‘keeping ahead of the curve’—giving information to the public before it otherwise became generally known.
1978 Fortune (Nexis) 10 Apr. 52 Attempts to ‘get ahead of the power curve’, as the marketeers put it, do not always work.
1984 Bond Buyer (Nexis) 10 July 1 The chairman of the association's tax and finance committee..said that counties around the country ‘need to organize and get ahead of the curve’.
1994 Jrnl. Educ. for Business (Electronic ed.) 1 Apr. 204 Responses by non-MIS faculty indicate that knowledge of IT can help MBAs stay ahead of the power curve.
2003 G. I. Kendall & S. C. Rollins Adv. Project Portfolio Managem. & PMO v. 75 If customer tastes change, the organization is ahead of the curve by having discovered these changes early on.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2012; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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adv.prep.adj.1530