(~s, advancing, ~d)
Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English.
1.
To ~ means to move forward, often in order to attack someone.
Reports from Chad suggest that rebel forces are advancing on the capital...
The water is advancing at a rate of 5cm a day...
...a picture of a man throwing himself before an advancing tank.
VERB: V prep/adv, V, V-ing
2.
To ~ means to make progress, especially in your knowledge of something.
Medical technology has ~d considerably...
= progress
VERB: V
see also ~d
3.
If you ~ someone a sum of money, you lend it to them, or pay it to them earlier than arranged.
I ~d him some money, which he would repay on our way home...
The bank ~d $1.2 billion to help the country with debt repayments.
= lend
VERB: V n n, V n
4.
An ~ is money which is lent or paid to someone before they would normally receive it.
She was paid a ?100,000 ~ for her next two novels.
N-COUNT
5.
To ~ an event, or the time or date of an event, means to bring it forward to an earlier time or date.
Too much protein in the diet may ~ the ageing process...
= bring forward
? put back
VERB: V n
6.
If you ~ a cause, interest, or claim, you support it and help to make it successful.
When not producing art of his own, Oliver was busy advancing the work of others.
= further
VERB: V n
7.
When a theory or argument is ~d, it is put forward for discussion.
Many theories have been ~d as to why some women suffer from depression...
= put forward
VERB: usu passive, be V-ed
8.
An ~ is a forward movement of people or vehicles, usually as part of a military operation.
...an ~ on enemy positions...
? retreat
N-VAR
9.
An ~ in a particular subject or activity is progress in understanding it or in doing it well.
Air safety has not improved since the dramatic ~s of the 1970s...
= development
N-VAR
10.
If something is an ~ on what was previously available or done, it is better in some way.
This could be an ~ on the present situation.
N-SING: usu a N on n
11.
Advance booking, notice, or warning is done or given before an event happens.
They don’t normally give any ~ notice about which building they’re going to inspect...
ADJ: ADJ n
12.
An ~ party or group is a small group of people who go on ahead of the main group.
The 20-strong ~ party will be followed by another 600 soldiers as part of UN relief efforts.
= expeditionary
ADJ: ADJ n
13.
If one thing happens or is done in ~ of another, it happens or is done before the other thing.
I had asked everyone to submit questions in ~ of the meeting.
= ahead
PREP-PHRASE
14.
If you do something in ~, you do it before a particular date or event.
The subject of the talk is announced a week in ~.
PHRASE: PHR after v