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Glite Dictionary
to get in front of

to get in front of

4 4.6
Take action to deal with a problem before it becomes serious
  • phrasal verb
  • US
translation icon : anticipar
  • Your goal is to get in front of as many potential customers as possible.
  • try to get in front of

And nobody knows what's going to happen, you know, and we need to get in front of it.

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Examples

  • Leverage your connections to get in front of these employers.

    Blog text (21)

  • This is a great way to get in front of new potential clients and customers.

    Blog text (5)

  • You have to find unique ways to get your movie out there, get in front of people and make them want to buy it.

  • And the only way in my mind to scale trust is to get in front of that camera, put yourself out there.

  • Your goal is to get in front of as many potential customers as possible.

    Blog text (5)

  • Anticipating and "getting in front of" a change can be the best way to boost your odds of managing it effectively.

    Blog text (8)

  • One of the best ways to be a good CIO is to find ways to get in front of events before you get surprised by them.

    Blog text (29)

  • Many on the staff want him to get in front of this story and answer as many questions as he can.

  • It's all data-driven, and it's all about getting in front of these issues.

Synonyms

to stay on top of
vsto get in front of
27 4.1

To keep informed and in control to avoid problems

acts early to deal with issues before they become urgent

Antonyms

to ignore
∞ 1.0

Choose not to pay attention to someone or something

to neglect
256 3.8

Fail to care for someone or something you should look after

How Proactive

to preempt
  • US
26 6.8
to get in front of
  • US
4 4.6
to address
∞ 3.6
to respond
∞ 1.0
wait
227 1.0

Surface Forms

get in front of infinitive
getting in front of present participle
gets in front of third person singular
got in front of past
gotten in front of past participle

Morphology

get + in + front + of

The sense 'to proactively address or anticipate an issue' is a metaphorical extension of the literal spatial idea of 'get' + 'in front of' (i.e., move ahead of something). A B1 learner who knows the constituents can often infer a general sense of 'getting ahead of' a problem, but the specific pragmatic sense of managing or anticipating an issue is somewhat figurative and may not be fully predictable without prior exposure.

Etymology

Get in front of comes from the simple image of moving to stand in front of something coming toward you, like stepping in front of a rolling ball to stop it. So it now means to act early to 'deal with' or 'prevent' a problem before it gets worse.