Ahead of the curve means a step ahead of everyone else: learning something new first, spotting a trend, doing what others will only do later. The archive was ahead of the curve: it offered online access while others still answered requests by post. The opposite is behind the curve.
When would you say ahead of the curve?
Write a sentence — we'll check that the expression fits the situation and suggest what to fix.
The check is taking longer than usual. Your feedback will appear here automatically.
be / stay / remain ahead of the curve; put someone ahead of the curve
- The archive was ahead of the curve in offering online access to its collections.
- Learning the new design tools early helped the team stay ahead of the curve.
- The shop offered repair services before most competitors and was ahead of the curve.
What changed
First versionOur studio was ahead the curve in using recycled materials.
RevisionOur studio was ahead of the curve in using recycled materials.
Ahead can stand alone, as in we're ahead, so of is easy to drop when a noun follows. But ahead links to a noun only through of: ahead of the curve, ahead of time. Put of back, and the sentence is correct.
Ahead of schedule means earlier than the deadline: We finished ahead of schedule. Ahead of the curve means earlier than other people: it's about beating the others, not the clock. Jump on the bandwagon is the opposite: joining in once everyone is already doing it.
Your turn
Choose the phrase for being more advanced than others: Early training kept the team ___ the curve.
Show the answer
ahead of — The early training gave the team an advantage, so ahead of. Behind the curve would mean falling behind.
Describe a skill or habit you picked up before your friends or coworkers did. Use ahead of the curve.
The team stayed ahead of the curve by learning to repair the new equipment before it arrived at most branches.
Learn to use new words without mistakes
Write phrases with the words you are learning. LetsWords shows mistakes in usage and grammar, suggests corrections and explains them, and review helps the words stick.