I. ədˈvan(t)s, -aa(ə)n-, -ain-, -ȧn- also ad- verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English advauncen, alteration (influenced by Latin ad- ) of avauncen, from Old French avancier, from (assumed) Vulgar Latin abantiare, from Latin abante before, from before, from ab- + ante before — more at ante-
transitive verb
1. : to move forward along a course or toward a terminus or goal : make to proceed or to progress
preparing to advance his pawn
: forward
finding ways to advance the job more rapidly
a. : to accelerate the progress or hasten the development of
advance the ripening of fruit
b. : to help on or aid the success or improvement of : further
volunteers soliciting funds to advance the work of the society
used propaganda to advance their cause
advancing his own interests at the expense of his friend's
2. : to raise in rank or position : promote
the rank of lieutenant, to which he was advanced in 1940
was advanced to the priesthood
advanced him over the heads of his seniors
: raise in importance
in advancing the husband in the office, the corporation is quite likely to advance him socially — W.H.Whyte
3. obsolete : extol , magnify , laud
greatly advancing his gay chivalry — Edmund Spenser
4. : to supply or provide ahead of time:
a. law : to furnish by way of an advancement
b. : to supply (as money or other value) beforehand in expectation of repayment or other future adjustment
advance an employee a week's pay as a loan
to farmers willing to raise soybeans, seed is advanced by the company — American Guide Series: Michigan
5. archaic : to lift up : raise , elevate
advanced their eyelids — Shakespeare
6. : to bring forward in time:
a. : to make earlier (as an event or date) : hasten
first scheduled for November 1, then advanced to October 15
b. : to bring or set forward to a later time : make or place later
modern scholarship has advanced the date of composition from the first to the second century A.D.
c. : to readjust (the timing of an ignition spark) so that ignition occurs earlier with reference to top dead center in the piston stroke
7.
a. : to set, push, or thrust forward, ahead, or to or toward the front : cause to go on
cautiously advancing one foot
advanced the tunnel 10 feet a day
advance the hands of a clock
b. phonetics
(1) : to move (the tongue) further forward
(2) : front
8. : to bring forward for notice, consideration, or acceptance : bring to view : offer , propose
advance an opinion
explanations were advanced and rejected
those advancing a claim to the vacant throne
9. : to raise in rate : increase
measures to keep landlords from advancing rents unfairly
advancing the price of gasoline twice in one week
intransitive verb
1. : to move forward : go or come forward : proceed
opened the door and advanced into the room
saw in the distance another lantern advancing toward them — Anne D. Sedgwick
the infantry advanced to the attack
the physicist, accustomed to … advancing from certainty — American Scholar
2. : to increase or make progress
a question on which knowledge is advancing
as he advanced in age and stature he advanced in knowledge
their children are advancing toward maturity
sagebrush and juniper are advancing at the expense of grass — G.R.Stewart
3. : to rise in rank, position, or importance
at 30 he had already advanced to colonel
the family has advanced to a position of influence in the community
the self-made man … who advanced through his own unaided efforts — R.B.Morris
have a fair chance to advance
4. : to rise in rate or price
as wages advanced, so did the cost of living
government securities advanced steadily
5. of a color : to seem to come forward toward the viewer : stand out to the eye
deep colors advance
— contrasted with recede
Synonyms:
forward , further , promote : these four verbs signify in common to help to move ahead. advance , forward , and further are virtually interchangeable. If a distinction exists it is perhaps that advance more than the others lays stress on the movement forward or the effectiveness of the assistance to that end
these policies had been considerably advanced during the preceding year — Americana Annual
ever alert to advance the cause of the freedom — W.H.Allison
forward is seldom applied to persons and perhaps stresses a little more than advance the activity or moral force intended to achieve the movement forward
the high school as a means of forwarding the education of all youth — T.H.Briggs
his military operations were successful, forwarding the Union cause — T.M.Spaulding
further may be said, in comparison to advance and forward , to put the least stress upon the movement forward and a great deal on the activity or force
furthering no special school of art, the institute seeks to make the museum a compendium of the evolution and history of art as a whole — American Guide Series: Minnesota
to further his selfish ends, he kept Monica from marrying the young man of her choice — Ann F. Wolfe
promote , in the sense pertinent here, usually implies nothing about a movement forward; it stresses solely the activity of assisting, encouraging, or fostering advancement, especially openly
she decided to promote a crusade to the Holy Land in a specially chartered liner — Carey McWilliams
a sound forest economy promotes the prosperity of agriculture and rural life — A.F.Gustafson
Synonym: see in addition cite .
II. noun
( -s )
1. : a moving forward
the advance of the infantry
the advance of the polar caps
the frontier advance followed a well-defined pattern — R.A.Billington
2.
a. : forward movement on a course of action or development : progress , improvement
mistaking material advance for spiritual enrichment — H.J.Laski
the advance of farm techniques
recent advances in social legislation
b. : a manifestation of progress or improvement : a step forward or beyond
far from being an advance on its predecessor, his new play is a regression
a method which was a definite advance over earlier practices
3. : a rise or increase (as in price, value, or amount) : addition to the price
during the year many workers won wage advances
a year-long advance in stock prices
4. : a first step toward the attainment of a result : an approach made (as to gain favor, form an acquaintance, adjust a difference) : overture , tender , offer
an attitude that discouraged all advances
she would certainly misunderstand the most guarded words, the most careful advances — Joseph Conrad
5. : a furnishing of something (as money or goods) before a return is received : payment beforehand : the money or goods thus furnished : money or value supplied beforehand
offered him an advance to complete the book
may also make cash advances to the packers before shipment is made — E.A.Duddy
6.
a. : the translational movement of a body in helical motion (as the forward motion of a screw)
b. : the interval by which an event in a cycle precedes a reference datum
7. : a story written for a news medium before the actual event
a Halloween advance written early in October
8. : the distance made parallel to the original course of a turning ship from the time of putting the rudder over until the ship is on the new course
•
- in advance
- in advance of
III. ədˈv-, (ˈ)ad|v- adjective
Etymology: advance (II)
1. : given, made, sent, issued, furnished, or received ahead of time or of need
advance payment
an advance copy of a book
advance information
2. : going before
sent out an advance party of soldiers
3. : forward of major bases of supply
an advance depot
advance base