AAAmerican Accent US

go ahead

No object

This verb takes no object at all.

How to say it

Stress the particle, not the verb: go AHEAD. Saying “GO ahead” is the clearest learner tell — the verb stays light and the particle carries the beat.

A glide appears. Two vowels meet, so American English slips a /w/ between them: “go ahead” → “go-wahead”. You do not insert it deliberately — it falls out of not stopping between the words.

What it means

  1. To proceed, or to give permission to proceed.

    • “Go ahead and start the meeting without me.”
    • “The council gave us the go-ahead last Friday.”

    Similar: proceed, carry on

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More GO phrasal verbs

Compare the whole family →

go on

To continue.

go out

To leave home for a social activity.

go off

(Of an alarm) to start sounding.

go over

To review or examine something carefully.

go through

To experience something difficult.

go back

To return to a place or a previous state.

go along with

To agree to a plan or accept an opinion.

go down

To decrease.

go up

To increase.

go for

To choose or decide on something.

go after

To pursue something or someone you want.

go by

(Of time) to pass.

go ahead — meaning, examples & how to say it