advancing

Syllables: ad·vanc·ingUK/ədˈvɑːnsɪŋ//ədˈvænsɪŋ/

advancing is the present participle and gerund of advance.

Meaning of advance

Verb

advance (third-person singular simple present advances, present participle advancing, simple past and past participle advanced)

To help the progress of (something); to further.
- Some see it as in effect the end of the Syrian uprising that began with peaceful protests against Assad’s police state in 2011, with opposition fighters working to advance Turkey’s interests at the expense of the revolution’s goals.2018 January 26, Kareem Shaheen, The Guardian
To raise (someone) in rank or office; to prefer, to promote.
- After these things did king Ahasuerus promote Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him, and set his seat above all the princes that were with him.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Esther 3:1
Synonyms:

elevate, exalt, raise, aggrandize, dignify, ennoble, honor, nobilitate, prefer, promote
To move or push (something) forwards, especially forcefully.
- Whence and what art thou, execrable shape, / That dar'st, though grim and terrible, advance / Thy miscreated front athwart my way / To yonder gates?1667, John Milton, “(please specify the page number)”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker...
To make (something) happen at an earlier time or date; to bring forward, to hasten.
- [S]in and sorrow it were, considering the hardships of this noble and gallant knight, no whit mentioning or weighing those we ourselves have endured, if we were now either to advance or retard the hour of refection beyond the time when the viands are fit to be set before us.1820 March, [Walter Scott], chapter III, in The Monastery. A Romance. […], volume II, Edinburgh: […] Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, […]; and for Archibald Constable and Co., and John...
Synonyms:

accelerate
(intransitive) To move forwards; to approach.
- I advanced towards him step by step, stopping sometimes for fear of waking him.1829, Marchioness of Lemington, Rosina, or the Virtuous Country Maid, Ninth ed.
To provide (money or other value) before it is due, or in expectation of some work; to lend.
- “I had intended to ask you to advance me a hundred pounds,” said Phineas.1869, Anthony Trollope, Phineas Finn

See all 20 meanings of advance

Noun

advancing (plural advancings)

The act of proceeding forward; an advance.
- […] who feels, not as even the kindest and the holiest friend on earth can feel towards our patient endurance, our shortcomings, or our slow advancings […]1839, Henry Blunt, A practical exposition of the epistles to the Seven Churches, page 52

Forms of advancing

plural	advancings

Phrases with advancing

advancing the ball

Questions about advancing

What does advancing mean?: Advancing means the act of proceeding forward; an advance.
What is advancing the present participle and gerund of?: Advancing is the present participle and gerund of advance.
What part of speech is advancing?: Advancing is a noun.
How do you pronounce advancing?: Advancing is pronounced /ədˈvɑːnsɪŋ/ (UK).
What is the plural of advancing?: The plural of advancing is advancings.

Words near advancing in the dictionary

Adapted from Wiktionary: advancing (page history and authors); advance (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-advancing.ogg.

Cite this entry: “advancing.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/advancing. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.