keep one step ahead of

keep one step ahead of someone or something

 and stay one step ahead of someone or something
Fig. to be or stay slightly in advance of someone or something. Al kept one step ahead of Detective Rogers. Try to keep one step ahead of the investigators.
See also: ahead, keep, of, one, step
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • go ahead
  • go-ahead
  • push ahead of
  • remain ahead of (someone or something)
  • get ahead
  • lie ahead of
  • lie ahead of (someone or something)
  • be one step ahead
  • keep ahead
  • keep ahead (of someone or something)
References in periodicals archive
"They are combining modern technology with physical fortifications to try and keep one step ahead of the thieves."
In "Booty for a Babe", Lt Al Wheeler tries to solve a murder at a science fiction convention he discovers a professor who wants to stop time by tricking the elusive Delfs (and meets an intellectual gangster who wants to get his hands on the professor's latest invention) is frustrated by the generously proportioned convention organizer, who somehow manages to keep one step ahead of Al's wolfish designs.
What follows is a series of car chases, gunfights and explosions as our hero tries to keep one step ahead of the bad guys while uncovering secrets from his past.
What follows, unsurprisingly, is a series of car chases, gunfights and explosions as our hero tries to keep one step ahead of the many, many bad guys while uncovering yet more secrets from his past.
Will encounters a multitude of well-drawn characters and high adventure as he tries to keep one step ahead of the man who wants him dead.
The month will also provide a springboard for year-round efforts to keep one step ahead of the scammers in the city.
"With over five million people living or working in areas at risk from flooding across England and Wales, we are urging communities to use the new application, alongside our existing Floodline and website updates, to keep one step ahead of future floods."
The scam was revealed by MyCarCheck.com, a vehicle provenance website which works closely with the police and leading insurance companies to try to keep one step ahead of the criminal fraternity which is using increasingly complex methods to steal cars these days.
If you are serious about selling, now is the time to move your home out of the winter blues and keep one step ahead of the competition!
Current flu vaccines produce an antibody response to surface molecules which alter rapidly to keep one step ahead of the immune system.
ATHENS, December 11, 2011 (Balochistan Times): Street hawkers from Senegal in west Africa try to eke out a living on the streets of the Greek capital, aiming to keep one step ahead of the police and sort out their tangled legal status at the same time.
With over 10 years experience of designing and developing powerful jobs board systems in-house, they are very aware that their systems need to keep one step ahead of the competition.
Keeping abreast of the latest plans for the emirate's mass transit infrastructure would give savvy investors and tenants an opportunity to keep one step ahead of the market, Asteco's Jones added.
"But she always seems to keep one step ahead of us,' he added.
Ringleaders of the gangs involved in last week's riots - and, make no mistake, much of the looting was organised - are said to have used twitter to direct operations and keep one step ahead of the police.