Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary

2 VERB To advance means to make progress, especially in your knowledge of something. □ [V ] Medical technology has advanced considerably.

3 → see also advanced

4 VERB If you advance someone a sum of money, you lend it to them, or pay it to them earlier than arranged. □ [V n n] I advanced him some money, which he would repay on our way home. □ [V n] The bank advanced $1.2 billion to help the country with debt repayments.

5 N‑COUNT An advance is money which is lent or paid to someone before they would normally receive it. □  She was paid a £100,000 advance for her next two novels.

6 VERB To advance an event, or the time or date of an event, means to bring it forward to an earlier time or date. □ [V n] Too much protein in the diet may advance the ageing process.

7 VERB If you advance a cause, interest, or claim, you support it and help to make it successful. □ [V n] When not producing art of his own, Oliver was busy advancing the work of others.

8 VERB [usu passive] When a theory or argument is advanced , it is put forward for discussion. □ [be V -ed] Many theories have been advanced as to why some women suffer from depression.

9 N‑VAR An advance is a forward movement of people or vehicles, usually as part of a military operation. □ [+ on ] …an advance on enemy positions.

10 N‑VAR An advance in a particular subject or activity is progress in understanding it or in doing it well. □  …the technological advances of the last four decades.

11 N‑SING If something is an advance on what was previously available or done, it is better in some way. □ [+ on ] This could be an advance on the present situation.

12 ADJ [ADJ n] Advance booking, notice, or warning is done or given before an event happens. □  They don't normally give any advance notice about which building they're going to inspect.

13 ADJ [ADJ n] An advance party or group is a small group of people who go on ahead of the main group. □  The 20-strong advance party will be followed by another 600 soldiers.

14 PHRASE If one thing happens or is done in advance of another, it happens or is done before the other thing. □  I had asked everyone to submit questions in advance of the meeting.

15 PHRASE If you do something in advance , you do it before a particular date or event. □  The subject of the talk is announced a week in advance.

ad|vanced ◆◇◇ /ædvɑː nst, -væ nst/

1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] An advanced system, method, or design is modern and has been developed from an earlier version of the same thing. □  Without more training or advanced technical skills, they'll lose their jobs.

2 ADJ A country that is advanced has reached a high level of industrial or technological development. □  …a technologically advanced society.

3 ADJ [usu ADJ n] An advanced student has already learned the basic facts of a subject and is doing more difficult work. An advanced course of study is designed for such students. □  The course is suitable for beginners and advanced students.

4 ADJ Something that is at an advanced stage or level is at a late stage of development. □  'Medicare' is available to victims of advanced kidney disease. SYNONYMS advanced ADJ 1

sophisticated:…a large and sophisticated new British telescope.

up-to-date:This is Germany's most up to date electric power station.

state-of-the-art:…the production of state-of-the-art military equipment.

latest:I got to drive the latest model.

ad|vance|ment /ædvɑː nsmənt, -væ ns-/ (advancements )