au-devant

forward

adverb oh-duh-VAHN Rare

Also means

ahead

Usage Note

Au-devant is mainly used in the fixed phrase aller au-devant de ('to go out to meet' or 'to anticipate'). Aller au-devant des ennuis literally means 'to go out to meet trouble' and is an idiom for inviting problems. It is more literary than the simple en avant ('forward').

Examples

"Il est allé au-devant des visiteurs."

Natural Translation

He went forward to meet the visitors.

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