What does "go ahead" mean?
As a phrasal verb - to proceed:"Go ahead - I'll follow in a minute.""Go ahead and send the email.""Feel free to go ahead with the plan."Giving permission or encouragement to proceed. Very common as a response when someone asks for permission:"Can I start?" / "Yes, go ahead."Go-ahead (noun) - perm...
As a phrasal verb - to proceed
"Go ahead - I'll follow in a minute."
"Go ahead and send the email."
"Feel free to go ahead with the plan."
Giving permission or encouragement to proceed. Very common as a response when someone asks for permission:
"Can I start?" / "Yes, go ahead."
Go-ahead (noun) - permission or approval
"We've been given the go-ahead to launch."
"Waiting for the go-ahead from management."
"The project got the go-ahead."
Go-ahead (adjective) - ambitious and forward-thinking
"It's a very go-ahead company." (British, slightly old-fashioned)
A native would say (granting permission)
- "Sure, go for it." - casual
- "Be my guest." - polite and slightly formal
- "Yes, please do." - formal
- "Fire away." - when someone wants to ask a question
Register
The phrasal verb is casual and very common. The noun go-ahead is used in professional contexts.
What does "go ahead" mean?
As a phrasal verb - to proceed:"Go ahead - I'll follow in a minute.""Go ahead and send the email.""Feel free to go ahead with the plan."Giving permission or encouragement to proceed. Very common as a response when someone asks for permission:"Can I start?" / "Yes, go ahead."Go-ahead (noun) - perm...
Is "go ahead" formal or informal?
The phrasal verb is casual and very common. The noun go-ahead is used in professional contexts.
What's another way to say "go ahead"?
- "Sure, go for it." - casual
- "Be my guest." - polite and slightly formal
- "Yes, please do." - formal
- "Fire away." - when someone wants to ask a question
Phrasal verbs are one of the hardest parts of English to master.
LLH Tutor explains them in plain language, so you know exactly when and how to use each one.
Save to your vocabulary