a/one step ahead of

idiom

: better prepared than (someone or something)

The teacher really has to work to keep one step ahead of the class.

She always seems to be one step ahead of me.

: able to avoid being caught or found by (someone or something)

So far the killer has managed to stay one step ahead of the police/law.

Examples of a/one step ahead of in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Still, digital watermark technology allows for constant iteration and more sophisticated safeguards to stay one step ahead of bad actors. —

Judy Moon, Forbes, 26 Dec. 2024 This sounds like the latest example of menu innovation that has kept Taco Bell one step ahead of its fast-food competition for several years. —

Nathan Bomey, Axios, 17 Dec. 2024 While most of the movie is about Frank Abagnale Jr.’s (Leonardo DiCaprio) life as a prolific scammer always trying to stay one step ahead of Tom Hanks’s FBI agent Carl Hanratty, the story keeps circling back to the holidays. —

Bob Sassone, Vulture, 17 Dec. 2024 Having just stolen a valuable treasure from her ex-girlfriend Ysidra, who also happens to be a queen, Sonja is doing her best to stay one step ahead of her furious pursuers bent on revenge. —

Diya Chacko, Orange County Register, 19 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for a/one step ahead of

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“A/one step ahead of.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/a%2Fone%20step%20ahead%20of. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.

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