forward

American  

[fawr-werd] / ˈfɔr wərd /

adverb

1. toward or at a place, point, or time in advance; onward; ahead.

   to move forward;

   from this day forward;

   to look forward.

2. toward the front.

   Let's move forward so we can hear better.

3. into view or consideration; out; forth.

   He brought forward several good suggestions.

4. toward the bow or front of a vessel or aircraft.

5. ahead.

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adjective

1. directed toward a point in advance; moving ahead; onward.

   The chest-high snow made forward motion almost impossible.

   Antonyms:

   backward

2. being in a condition of advancement; well-advanced.

   It was quite forward in the season when we finished our planting.

3. presumptuous, impertinent, or bold.

   That girl is a rude, forward child.

   Synonyms:

   impudent, assuming

4. situated in the front or forepart.

   The bow is the forward part of the ship.

5. of or relating to the future; for the future or forward delivery.

   In August the hog packer was offering a forward price of $1.81/kg for hogs delivered in September.

   Synonyms:

   premature, future, preliminary, early

6. lying ahead or to the front.

   Take the forward path.

7. radical or extreme, as persons or opinions.

   The group represents a forward trend in liberal thought.

   Synonyms:

   progressive, unconventional

8. standing out from others (sometimes used in combination).

   These fashion-forward celebrities set the trends for the rest of us.

   Sage is an herb with a strong, forward flavor.

9. ready, prompt, or eager.

   Synonyms:

   zealous, earnest, willing

noun

forwards plural

1. Sports.

   1. a player stationed in advance of others on a team.

   2. Football. a lineman.

   3. Basketball. either of two players stationed in the forecourt.

2. Finance. something bought, as a security, for future delivery.

verb (used with object)

forwards, present (3rd person singular) forwarded, past participle, past forwarding present participle

1. to send forward; transmit, especially to a new address.

   He asked me to forward his mail while he’s in Japan.

2. to advance or help onward; promote.

   The training will help to forward your career.

   Synonyms:

   foster, further

verb (used without object)

forwards, present (3rd person singular) forwarded, past participle, past forwarding present participle

1. to advance or play a cassette, digital recording, slide projector, etc., in the forward direction.

   Forward through the first few ballads to get to the dance tracks on this album.

verb phrase

1. put forward. put.

idioms

1. pay it forward. pay.

2. put one's best foot forward. foot.

forward British  

/ ˈfɔːwəd /

adjective

1. directed or moving ahead

2. lying or situated in or near the front part of something

3. presumptuous, pert, or impudent

   a forward remark

4. well developed or advanced, esp in physical, material, or intellectual growth or development

   forward ideas

5. archaic (often postpositive) ready, eager, or willing

6. 1. of or relating to the future or favouring change; progressive

   2. ( in combination )

      forward-looking

7. finance realting to fulfilment at a future date

8. (of an animal) in good condition

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noun

1. 1. an email that has been sent to one recipient and then forwarded to another

   2. (in American football) a lineman

2. an attacking player in any of various sports, such as soccer, hockey, or basketball

adverb

1. a variant of forwards

2. towards the front or bow of an aircraft or ship

3. into prominence or a position of being subject to public scrutiny; out; forth

   the witness came forward

verb

1. to send forward or pass on to an ultimate destination

   the letter was forwarded from a previous address

2. to advance, help, or promote

   to forward one's career

3. bookbinding to prepare (a book) for the finisher

forward More Idioms  

1. see backward and forward; carry forward; come forward; from this day forward; know like a book (backwards and forwards); look forward; put forward; put one's best foot forward; set forward.

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Synonym Usage

Forward, onward both indicate a direction toward the front or a movement in a frontward direction. Forward applies to any movement toward what is or is conceived to be the front or a goal: to face forward; to move forward in the aisles. Onward applies to any movement in continuance of a course: to march onward toward a goal. See bold.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• overforwardness
  noun
• reforward
  verb (used with object)
• forwardable
  adjective
• overforward
  adjective
• forwardly
  adverb
• overforwardly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• forwards
  plural

Participles

• forwarding
  present
• forwarded
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• forward
  simple
• forwards
  simple
• have forwarded
  perfect
• has forwarded
  perfect
• am forwarding
  progressive
• are forwarding
  progressive
• is forwarding
  progressive
• have been forwarding
  perfect progressive
• has been forwarding
  perfect progressive

Past

• forwarded
  simple
• had forwarded
  perfect
• was forwarding
  progressive
• were forwarding
  progressive
• had been forwarding
  perfect progressive

Future

• will forward
  simple
• will have forwarded
  perfect
• will be forwarding
  progressive
• will have been forwarding
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of forward

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English for(e)weard; see fore ¹, -ward

Explanation

Forward is the direction ahead of you, or toward the front of something. It can also be a position on a basketball, soccer, or hockey team. Forward can be a direction of either space or time, and also implies progress. A forward-thinking person thinks about what will happen in the future. If you forward an email, you send it on to a new recipient. But if you forward a cause, that means you helped propel it to success. If you’re at a bar and someone tells you you’re being awfully forward, you’re probably coming on too strong.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

forward forwards forwarded forwarding

"It took me a long while to come forward and say, 'I'm not right, I'm not the person I used to be'," he said.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

Uncertainty has been fuelled by new boss Kevin Warsh's refusal to publicly share his views on the economic outlook, part of his proposed reforms to reduce the amount of forward guidance the central bank offers.

From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026

Novel ideas and major steps forward rarely originate from established institutions alone.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

As the chart below shows, the decline in hyperscalers’ forward free cash flow has been mostly offset by a surge in expected cash flows for a basket of semiconductor stocks.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026

Leaning forward, my hands on my knees, I count and breathe, count and breathe, forcing calm, restraint.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

A new Honda engine is due for the next race - the Dutch Grand Prix on 21-23 August - with expectations it should edge the team forwards a little more.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

There are plenty of wide forwards, or number 10s, for England at youth level - Arsenal's Max Dowman and Liverpool's Rio Ngumoha to name two - but few number nines.

From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026

Springboks started strongly with a fine break from full-back Aphelele Fassi continued by the home forwards.

From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026

For although the squads of the tournament's final four contain 41 Premier League players between them, very few of the forwards on show are based in England.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

He leaned forwards and held on to the steering-wheel.

From "I'm the King of the Castle" by Susan Hill

When a gossip column publicized their relationship in 1974, President Ford forwarded it to his chief of staff with a note: “I don’t believe it.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026

According to the lawsuit, the federal government’s only formal communication with the county regarding the project was a one-paragraph letter dated June 21, 2023, and forwarded by an Elmwood Capital representative.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026

Once your traffic reaches the VPN server, it has reached the end of the tunnel and needs to be decrypted before your requests can be forwarded to the site or service you’re attempting to access.

From Salon ● Jun. 2, 2026

Mack forwarded the case to the director of public prosecutions, but the workmen faced no further action.

From BBC ● Apr. 25, 2026

He simply did not want contact from anyone he didn’t know, and he made it quite clear, peremptorily, to Jack Collins that no mail—even important, flattering, or personal messages—should be forwarded to him.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

People were fast forwarding through all the commercials because they were watching it on TiVo.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2026

They found evidence that ChatGPT appeared to be “using forwarding looking information despite being asked not to.”

From MarketWatch ● May 8, 2026

RXO is a large third-party logistics firm, or 3PL, brokering truck transportation, freight forwarding, and last-mile delivery for customers in an asset-light business model.

From Barron's ● May 7, 2026

“I am totally shocked that she was forwarding electronic correspondence to Epstein.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 19, 2026

They wanted information—the names of friends, forwarding addresses, suggestions on where to look next.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

Related Words

• address
• deliver
• dispatch
• express
• transmit