having the leading position or higher score in a contest
"he is ahead by a pawn"
"the leading team in the pennant race"
ahead of time; in anticipation
"when you pay ahead (or in advance) you receive a discount"
"We like to plan ahead"
"should have made reservations beforehand"
to a more advanced or advantageous position
"a young man sure to get ahead"
"pushing talented students ahead"
to a different or a more advanced time (meaning advanced either toward the present or toward the future)
"moved the appointment ahead from Tuesday to Monday"
"pushed the deadline ahead from Tuesday to Wednesday"
leading or ahead in a competition
"the horse was three lengths ahead going into the home stretch"
"ahead by two pawns"
"our candidate is in the lead in the polls"
"way out front in the race"
"the advertising campaign put them out front in sales"
In or to the front; in advance; onward.
"She took a step ahead of the rest of the group and waited for them at the gate."
In plain English: Ahead means being in front of something or someone else.
"We finished the race five minutes ahead of the other team."
Usage: Use "ahead" to indicate movement toward the front or to signify that something will happen sooner rather than later. It is incorrect to use it simply to mean "in front of" a specific object when describing static position.
The word ahead likely began as a nautical phrase meaning "beyond the head" or bow of a ship. It eventually drifted into general English usage to simply mean in front of something.