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Advance vs Headway - What's the difference?

advance | headway |

As nouns the difference between advance and headway

is that advance is a forward move; improvement or progression while headway is movement ahead or forward.

As a verb advance

is to bring forward; to move towards the front; to make to go on.

As an adjective advance

is completed before need or a milestone event.

advance

English

Alternative forms

* advaunce

Verb

(advanc)
  • To bring forward; to move towards the front; to make to go on.
  • (obsolete) To raise; to elevate.
  • They advanced their eyelids. — Shakespeare
  • To raise to a higher rank; to promote.
  • * Bible, Esther iii. 1
  • Ahasueres advanced him, and set his seat above all the princes.
  • * Prescott
  • This, however, was in time evaded by the monarchs, who advanced certain of their own retainers to a level with the ancient peers of the land
  • To accelerate the growth or progress of; to further; to forward; to help on; to aid; to heighten.
  • to advance the ripening of fruit
    to advance one's interests
  • To bring to view or notice; to offer or propose; to show.
  • to advance an argument
  • * Alexander Pope
  • Some ne'er advance a judgment of their own.
  • To make earlier, as an event or date; to hasten.
  • To furnish, as money or other value, before it becomes due, or in aid of an enterprise; to supply beforehand.
  • Merchants often advance money on a contract or on goods consigned to them.
  • To raise to a higher point; to enhance; to raise in rate.
  • to advance the price of goods
  • To move forwards, to approach.
  • He rose from his chair and advanced to greet me.
  • (obsolete) To extol; to laud.
  • * Spenser
  • greatly advancing his gay chivalry

    Synonyms

    * raise, elevate, exalt, aggrandize, improve, heighten, accelerate, allege, adduce, assign

    Derived terms

    * advancement * in advance * in advance of

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A forward move; improvement or progression.
  • an advance in health or knowledge
    an advance in rank or office
  • An amount of money or credit, especially given as a loan, or paid before it is due; an advancement.
  • * Jay
  • I shall, with pleasure, make the necessary advances .
  • * Kent
  • The account was made up with intent to show what advances had been made.
  • An addition to the price; rise in price or value.
  • an advance on the prime cost of goods
  • (in the plural) An opening approach or overture, especially of an unwelcome or sexual nature.
  • * Jonathan Swift
  • [He] made the like advances to the dissenters.
  • * 1918 , (Edgar Rice Burroughs), , chapter 4:
  • As the sun fell, so did our spirits. I had tried to make advances to the girl again; but she would have none of me, and so I was not only thirsty but otherwise sad and downhearted.

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Completed before need or a milestone event.
  • He made an advance payment on the prior shipment to show good faith.
  • Preceding.
  • The advance man came a month before the candidate.
  • Forward.
  • The scouts found a site for an advance base.

    Derived terms

    * advance person

    headway

    English

    Noun

  • Movement ahead or forward.
  • (nautical) Forward motion, or its rate.
  • (countable, transport) The interval of time or distance between the fronts of two vehicles (e.g. buses) moving in succession in the same direction, especially along the same pre-determined route.
  • (uncountable, figuratively) Progress toward a goal.
  • (countable) The clearance beneath an object, such as an arch, ceiling or bridge; headroom.
  • (coal-mining) A cross-heading.
  • Derived terms

    * make headway

    See also

    * seaway