A nut in front (5)
I believe the answer is:
ahead
'in front' is the definition.
(synonyms)
'a nut' is the wordplay.
'nut' becomes 'head' (nut can mean one's head).
'a'+'head'='AHEAD'
(Other definitions for ahead that I've seen before include "In the vanguard" , "In the future" , "at pole" , "In the lead, in advance" , "Forwards" .)