forehand

American  

[fawr-hand, fohr-] / ˈfɔrˌhænd, ˈfoʊr- /

adjective

1. (in tennis, squash, etc.) of, relating to, or noting a stroke made from the same side of the body as that of the hand holding the racket, paddle, etc.

2. being in front or ahead.

3. foremost or leading.

4. done beforehand; given or made in advance, as a payment.

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noun

• forehands
  plural

1. (in tennis, squash, etc.) a forehand stroke.

2. the part of a horse that is in front of the rider.

3. Cards. the player on the dealer's left, in a game with three players.

4. Archaic. a superior or advantageous position.

adverb

1. (in tennis, squash, etc.) with a forehand stroke.

forehand British  

/ ˈfɔːˌhænd /

adjective

1. sport

   1. (of a stroke) made with the racket held so that the wrist is facing the direction of the stroke

   2. of or relating to the right side of a right-handed player or the left side of a left-handed player

2. foremost or paramount

3. done or given beforehand

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noun

1. sport

   1. a forehand stroke

   2. the side on which such strokes are made

2. the part of a horse in front of the saddle

3. a frontal position

adverb

1. sport with a forehand stroke

verb

1. sport to play (a shot) forehand

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• forehands
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of forehand

First recorded in 1535–45; fore- + hand

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

forehand forehands

Shelton's recent success has been a product of developing his defensive skills and improving his weaker backhand, but not being able to execute his damaging forehand in crucial moments against Zverev proved costly.

From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026

Like Shelton, he’s another court-smotherer who can chase it from the baseline to the net to the third row of the loge section, and he can crack a forehand as hard as anyone on tour.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

Alcaraz said he was playing "normal" in a straight-set win over Russia's Roman Safiullin in the first round and reiterated after beating Faria that he is not holding back on his forehand.

From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026

Fritz squandered a pair of match points at 40-15 and gave himself another with a booming forehand.

From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026

I tried hitting one backhand; the stroke was horrible; I returned to only whacking my forehand, my best stroke.

From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane

Fritz finally got the job done after one hour and 49 minutes, Jodar misfiring on a pair of forehands to bring it to a close.

From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026

She hit a couple of sizzler forehands that found the lines.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026

The battle went down to the wire and it was a few mistimed forehands from Gauff that gave Svitolina the opening in the last game to complete an emotional victory.

From Barron's ● Feb. 20, 2026

"I felt like my arm was shutting down a little bit when I was hitting forehands and on the serve," said Draper.

From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2025

Most horses will swing their forehands with some readiness, if not in a well-balanced manner.

From Patroclus and Penelope A Chat in the Saddle by Theodore Ayrault Dodge

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