to advantage









to advantage


noun

  1. any state, circumstance, opportunity, or means specially favorable to success, interest, or any desired end: the advantage of a good education.
  2. benefit; gain; profit: It will be to his advantage to learn Chinese before going to China.
  3. superiority or ascendancy (often followed by over or of): His height gave him an advantage over his opponent.
  4. a position of superiority (often followed by over or of): their advantage in experienced players.
  5. Tennis. the first point scored after deuce.

verb (used with object), ad·van·taged, ad·van·taging.

  1. to be of service to; yield profit or gain to; benefit.
  2. to cause to advance; further; promote: Such action will advantage our cause.
  3. to prove beneficial to; profit: It would advantage him to work harder.

Idioms

  1. have the advantage of, to be in a superior or advantageous position; possess an advantage over: By virtue of independent wealth, he has the advantage of his opponents.
  2. take advantage of,
    1. to make use of for gain: to take advantage of an opportunity.
    2. to impose upon, especially unfairly, as by exploiting a weakness: to take advantage of someone.
  3. to advantage, to good effect; advantageously: The paintings were arranged to advantage on one wall.

noun

  1. (often foll by over or of) superior or more favourable position or powerhe had an advantage over me because of his experience
  2. benefit or profit (esp in the phrase to one’s advantage)
  3. tennis
    1. the point scored after deuce
    2. the resulting state of the score
  4. take advantage of
    1. to make good use of
    2. to impose upon the weakness, good nature, etc, of; abuse
    3. to seduce
  5. to advantage to good effecthe used his height to advantage at the game
  6. you have the advantage of me you know me but I do not know you

n.early 14c., avantage, “position of being in advance of another,” from Old French avantage “advantage, profit, superiority,” from avant “before,” probably via an unrecorded Late Latin *abantaticum, from Latin abante (see advance). The -d- is a 16c. intrusion on the analogy of Latin ad- words. Meaning “a favoring circumstance” (the opposite of disadvantage) is from late 15c. Tennis score sense is from 1640s, first recorded in writings of John Milton, of all people. Phrase to take advantage of is first attested late 14c. see show to advantage. see get the advantage of; show to advantage; take advantage of; to advantage.

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