advance
advance — verb
1. to keep going steadily toward a place or goal, or to push someone or something n
to keep going steadily toward a place or goal, or to push someone or something nearer to that point — used both for real movement (soldiers crossing a field) and for figurative steps closer to a target.
The soldiers advanced slowly across the muddy field at dawn.
intransitive: advance + adverbial of manner / place
Heavy rain forced the climbers to advance one careful step at a time.
Rashida advanced the small wooden piece three squares on the board.
transitive: advance + physical object
Rescue teams advanced toward the trapped miners through narrow tunnels.
advance + toward + destination
The hikers could only advance another two kilometers before sunset.
- advance slowly
- advance toward
- advance on the enemy
- advance into territory
Grammar Patterns
advance + (toward / on / into) + place
advance + object
Usage Note
Subject is often a group on a journey or mission (army, team, expedition); typically followed by a direction or distance phrase rather than a simple object.
Common Mistakes
2. to help an idea, project, career, or area of knowledge get to a better or more d
to help an idea, project, career, or area of knowledge get to a better or more developed stage — for example, new research that pushes medicine forward, or a job change that helps your career.
Dr. Yael's research helped advance our understanding of malaria.
advance + understanding / knowledge (typical object)
Volunteering at the clinic advanced Yusuf's career in public health.
advance + career / cause / interests
The new microscope advanced the team's work by several months.
Solar panels and wind farms have advanced steadily over the past decade.
intransitive: subject = field / technology
Imani joined the lab hoping to advance the cause of clean water in rural villages.
- advance knowledge
- advance a career
- advance the cause of
- advance research
Grammar Patterns
advance + abstract noun (knowledge / cause / career)
Usage Note
Frequently passive in academic writing ('our knowledge has been greatly advanced by…'). Typical objects are abstract: knowledge, science, a cause, someone's career, a project.
Common Mistakes
3. to give someone money now that they would normally only receive later — for exam
to give someone money now that they would normally only receive later — for example, paying a worker a week's wages early, or lending a sum that will be paid back from future earnings.
The publisher advanced Rosa five thousand dollars against future book royalties.
ditransitive: advance + person + amount
Nadia asked her boss to advance her next month's salary for the hospital bill.
advance + somebody + amount of money
The bank refused to advance any more cash until the loan was repaid.
Aunt Rosa advanced the family enough money to buy plane tickets home.
- advance somebody money
- advance wages
- advance a loan
- advance against royalties
- withhold
to keep money back rather than release it
Grammar Patterns
advance + somebody + amount
advance + amount + to somebody
Usage Note
Almost always takes a person and an amount as objects; the assumption is that the money will later be deducted, repaid, or earned. Distinguish from sense 2 (PROGRESS): here the object is money, not knowledge or a cause.
Common Mistakes
4. to offer a theory, argument, or proposal so that other people can think about it
to offer a theory, argument, or proposal so that other people can think about it and decide whether they agree — common in academic writing, debates, and meetings.
Dr. Patel advanced a bold theory about why the bees were disappearing.
advance + a theory / hypothesis (academic)
Several economists advanced different arguments at the climate policy hearing.
The mayor advanced a proposal to turn the empty parking lot into a community garden.
advance + proposal / plan (formal register)
In her thesis, Rashida advanced the view that early sleep improves memory in teenagers.
advance + the view that + clause
- advance a theory
- advance an argument
- advance a proposal
- advance the view that
- propose
more neutral; 'advance' suggests defending the idea, not just naming it
- put forward
everyday equivalent; less formal than 'advance'
- submit
very formal; common in legal and academic writing
- withdraw
to take a proposal or argument back
Grammar Patterns
advance + a theory / argument / view / proposal
Usage Note
Largely confined to formal contexts (academic papers, courts, policy debates). Object is almost always an abstract noun like theory, argument, claim, proposal, or view — never a physical thing.
Common Mistakes
5. (of a share price, currency, or market index) to go up in value — used in busine
(of a share price, currency, or market index) to go up in value — used in business reporting when a stock or rate climbs higher.
Tech shares advanced sharply after the company announced strong sales.
intransitive: shares / stocks + advance (finance register)
The Tokyo index advanced by 1.8 percent on Monday morning.
advance + by + percent / amount
Oil prices advanced steadily through the cold winter weeks.
Gold advanced to a record high after the central bank cut interest rates.
advance + to + new price level
- shares advance
- prices advance
- advance sharply
- advance by X percent
Grammar Patterns
advance + by + amount / percent
advance + to + price
Usage Note
Subject is almost always a price, share, currency, or index — never a person. Common in financial news; in everyday speech, people say 'go up' or 'rise' instead.
Common Mistakes
advance — noun
1. a step toward a more developed state in some area of life — such as a new discov
a step toward a more developed state in some area of life — such as a new discovery in science, or the steady forward push of an army across a region.
Recent advances in cancer treatment have given many patients longer lives.
advances in + field of knowledge
The advance of the rebel forces stopped at the river when the bridge was destroyed.
the advance of + group of people / army
Solar power has made enormous advances since Imani first installed his panels.
The textbook lists every major advance in chemistry from 1900 to today.
Villagers fled their homes as soon as they heard about the army's advance.
- recent advances
- major advance
- technological advances
- the advance of the army
- progress
uncountable; 'an advance' is one specific step, while 'progress' is the general movement
- breakthrough
stronger; suggests a single dramatic discovery
- improvement
broader and more everyday
Grammar Patterns
advance in + field
the advance of + noun
Usage Note
Plural 'advances' is typical when listing discoveries or improvements ('advances in medicine'). Singular with 'the' is typical for a specific forward movement of troops or a project.
Common Mistakes
2. a sum of money handed over before it is normally due — for instance, part of an
a sum of money handed over before it is normally due — for instance, part of an author's payment given before the book is finished, or wages paid days before payday.
The novelist received a large advance for her second book about Tokyo.
advance for + work to be done (publishing)
Nadia asked her manager for a small advance on next month's pay.
advance on + future income
The actor lived on an advance from the studio while filming in New Zealand.
Most credit cards charge a high fee for a cash advance from an ATM.
fixed phrase: cash advance
- a cash advance
- an advance on wages
- ask for an advance
- pay an advance
- loan
broader; a loan need not be against future earnings
- down payment
different direction — paid by buyer before goods are delivered
- prepayment
more formal; full payment before service
Grammar Patterns
an advance on + something
a cash advance
Usage Note
Usually countable: 'an advance', 'two advances'. Common in publishing (author advances) and employment (advances on wages). Distinguish from sense 1: here the meaning is a payment, not progress.
Common Mistakes
3. an effort by one person to flirt with another, hoping that romance or sex might
an effort by one person to flirt with another, hoping that romance or sex might follow — often used when the attempt is unwanted, awkward, or reported as a complaint at work.
Yusuf firmly rejected the manager's unwanted advances at the office party.
reject / refuse + somebody's advances
Two waiters complained about the chef's repeated advances during late shifts.
Rashida was flattered by Imani's gentle advances at the bookstore.
subject's advances + adjective (gentle / clumsy / unwanted)
The novel ends when the duke's advances toward the maid are finally noticed.
advances + toward + person
- make advances
- reject advances
- unwanted advances
- sexual advances
- pass
informal; 'make a pass at someone' is the everyday equivalent
- overture
more formal; can be romantic or simply friendly
- flirtation
lighter, often mutual and playful
Grammar Patterns
make advances (to / toward somebody)
reject somebody's advances
Usage Note
Almost always plural ('advances'), and almost always with a possessive ('his advances', 'her advances'). The verb is usually 'make', 'reject', 'refuse', or 'welcome'. Often carries a negative or formal tone, especially in workplace or legal contexts.
Common Mistakes
4. an upward move in what a traded item — like a share, currency, or commodity — co
an upward move in what a traded item — like a share, currency, or commodity — costs or is worth on the market, often reported in business news as a single day's gain.
The newspaper reported a sharp advance in oil prices after the storm.
advance in + price / value
Investors cheered the steady advance in tech stocks throughout April.
A small advance in gold matched the drop in the dollar that morning.
Analysts expect another advance in housing prices before the new tax law begins.
- an advance in prices
- sharp advance
- steady advance
- an advance of X percent
Grammar Patterns
an advance in + price / value
Usage Note
Restricted to financial reporting; in everyday talk people say 'a rise' or 'an increase'. Distinguish from sense 1 (PROGRESS): here the subject is a price, not a field of human activity.
Common Mistakes
in advance
idiombefore something happens or before the usual time, often so that you can be ready or so that other people know what to expect.
Nadia booked the train tickets two weeks in advance to get a cheaper price.
Please let Rashida know in advance if you cannot come to the dinner.
in advance of
idiomearlier than something else, or ahead of a particular event or deadline.
The architects finished the design well in advance of the building permit deadline.
Snowfall arrived in advance of the official start of winter.
Before the expected time or before an event happens.
Please book your train tickets at least two weeks in advance.
Did you inform the hotel in advance of your late arrival?
advance — adjective
1. (only before a noun) made, arranged, or sent ahead of the time something actuall
(only before a noun) made, arranged, or sent ahead of the time something actually takes place — as in tickets bought before the show, or a warning given before bad weather arrives.
The hotel offers a discount for advance bookings made online.
advance + booking / reservation (typical fixed pair)
Without advance warning of the storm, the fishermen were caught at sea.
advance + warning / notice
Rashida made an advance payment to hold the wedding hall for June.
advance + payment (formal contract context)
The teacher gave the class advance notice that Friday's test would be harder.
- advance booking
- advance warning
- advance notice
- advance payment
- advance copy
- early
broader; 'early booking' and 'advance booking' overlap, but 'early' simply means before the usual time
- prior
formal; common in 'prior notice', 'prior approval'
- preliminary
implies a first version that may change later
- last-minute
the opposite extreme — done just before the event begins
Grammar Patterns
advance + warning / notice / booking / payment
Usage Note
Only used directly before a noun (attributive); never after a linking verb. So 'an advance booking' is fine, but 'the booking is advance' is wrong — say 'is in advance' instead.
Common Mistakes
Word family
- advancedadjectiveB1
- advancementnounC1
- advancingadjectiveC1
Synonym discussion
Sense: verb/2
All four verbs describe helping something get to a better stage, but they pull in different directions. 'Advance' is the most neutral and most common in academic or professional writing — researchers advance knowledge; a job change advances a career. 'Further' is its closest twin and works almost everywhere 'advance' does, especially with abstract objects like 'cause' or 'interests', though it sounds slightly more formal and less common in speech. 'Promote' adds the idea of active support: a charity promotes literacy by spending money and time on it, while a single discovery merely advances it. 'Develop' is the broadest word and the only one of the four that does not require forward direction — a cell develops, but it does not have a goal. So: choose 'advance' for steady progress, 'further' as a close stylistic alternative, 'promote' when you want to stress active support, and 'develop' when the change is gradual or undirected. For example, 'the institute promotes clean energy research' (active backing), 'the institute's work has advanced the field' (the result of that backing).
Common collocations
Etymology
From Old French 'avancer' (to move forward, push ahead), itself from a Late Latin form 'abante' meaning 'from before', built on the Latin words 'ab' (from) and 'ante' (before). The word entered English in the 13th century with the basic sense of physical forward movement; the figurative meanings — career promotion, paying ahead of time, raising a theory — grew up gradually in the late medieval and early modern periods, as the verb spread from battlefields into business, scholarship, and law. The unetymological 'd' at the start of the modern English spelling appeared because writers wrongly assumed the word came from Latin 'ad-' (toward).