go ahead

See also: go-ahead

English

Pronunciation

(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌɡəʊ əˈhɛd/
(General American) IPA^(key): /ˌɡoʊ əˈhɛd/
(General Australian) IPA^(key): /ˌɡəʉ əˈhɛd/
- Audio (AU) (file)
(New Zealand) IPA^(key): /ˌɡɐʉ əˈhɛd/
(Black Country) IPA^(key): /ˌɡu əˈhɛd/

Verb

go ahead (third-person singular simple present goes ahead, present participle going ahead, simple past went ahead, past participle gone ahead)

To proceed with; to begin.
I went ahead with my plan.
- 2022 December 14, Mel Holley, “Network News: Strikes go on as RMT rejects RDG's "detrimental" offer”, in RAIL, number 972, page 8:
  In the meantime, strikes already planned for NR are to go ahead, despite an offer being put to RMT members in an electronic ballot that was due to close on December 12 (after this issue of RAIL went to press).
(imperative) Used to grant permission for or to give endorsement of a suggestion or proposal.
Synonyms: go for it, be my guest, feel free
Go ahead and eat without me. I expect to be very late.
- 1894, Mark Twain, chapter 12, in Tom Sawyer Abroad:
  “Tom Sawyer, I want to ask you some questions.” “Go ahead,” he says, and I see Jim chirk up to listen.
(procedure word, military) To send communication over the radio.
Bravo Six Actual, this is Bravo Six Four. Go ahead, over.

Derived terms

go-ahead

Translations

proceed

Italian: procedere (it), andare avanti

grant permission (imperative)

Chinese:
Mandarin: 請便／请便 (zh) (qǐngbiàn)
Estonian: edasi minema
Finnish: aloittaa (fi)
French: (informal) vas-y (fr), (formal) allez-y (fr)
German: (polite) bitte (de), (informal) los (de), nur zu, na los
Hungarian: nekilát (hu), hozzálát (hu), hozzáfog (hu), hozzákezd (hu), elkezd (hu), (reply to asking permission) tessék (hu), rajta (hu), ne zavartasd magad (inf.), ne zavartassa magát (fml.)
Italian: vai (it)
Japanese: どうぞお先に (どうぞおさきに, dōzo o-saki ni)
Latin: licet
Malagasy: alefa (mg)
Navajo: hágoshį́į́
Polish: śmiało (pl), zacząć (pl)
Portuguese: vai em frente
Russian: (informal) дава́й (ru) (daváj), (formal) приступа́йте (pristupájte), (slang) валя́й (valjáj), (please) пожа́луйста (ru) (požálujsta)
Scottish Gaelic: siuthad (imperative only)
Spanish: ¡pase! (es), adelante (es), sigue (es), siga (es)
Urdu: جائیے‎ (jāiye), فرمائیے‎ (farmāiye)
Yiddish: געזונטערהייט‎ (gezunterheyt)