A commander at the front (5)

I believe the answer is:

ahead

'at the front' is the definition.
(synonyms)

'a commander' is the wordplay.
'commander' becomes 'head' (I've seen this in another clue).
'a'+'head'='AHEAD'

(Other definitions for ahead that I've seen before include "Forwards" , "What's down the road" , "In the future" , "In front as in race" , "Winning" .)

I've seen this clue in The Sunday Times.

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