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• forth
  forth

  adverb

  onward or outward in place or space; forward.
• Forth
  Forth

  noun

  Firth of, an arm of the North Sea, in SE Scotland: estuary of Forth River. 48 miles (77 km) long.

forth

¹ American  

[fawrth, fohrth] / fɔrθ, foʊrθ /

adverb

1. onward or outward in place or space; forward.

   to come forth; go forth.

2. onward in time, in order, or in a series.

   from that day forth.

3. out, as from concealment or inaction; into view or consideration.

   The author's true point comes forth midway through the book.

4. away, as from a place or country.

   to journey forth.

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preposition

1. Archaic. out of; forth from.

Forth ² American  

[fawrth, fohrth] / fɔrθ, foʊrθ /

noun

1. Firth of, an arm of the North Sea, in SE Scotland: estuary of Forth River. 48 miles (77 km) long.

2. a river in S central Scotland, flowing E into the Firth of Forth. 116 miles (187 km) long.

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forth ¹ British  

/ fɔːθ /

adverb

1. forward in place, time, order, or degree

2. out, as from concealment, seclusion, or inaction

3. away, as from a place or country

4. and so on; et cetera

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preposition

1. archaic out of; away from

Forth ² British  

/ fɔːθ /

noun

1. an inlet of the North Sea in SE Scotland: spanned by a cantilever railway bridge 1600 m (almost exactly 1 mile) long (1889), and by a road bridge (1964)

2. a river in S Scotland, flowing generally east to the Firth of Forth. Length: about 104 km (65 miles)

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forth Idioms  

1. see and so forth; back and forth; bring forth; hold forth; put forth; set forth.

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Etymology

Origin of forth

before 900; Middle English, Old English; cognate with German fort; akin to further

Explanation

Forth means "from now on." If you declare that from today forth, you'll pursue your dream of becoming a rodeo clown, it means you'll work every day to make it happen. The adverb forth describes pushing forward, either literally or in time. When something goes forth, it moves into view or forward. In spring, flowers shoot forth from the ground. You have probably heard the expression and so forth, which like and so on means whatever else. Don't confuse forth with fourth, which sounds the same but means "number four in a series."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

forth Forth

Dressed in shorts, sandals and a dark baseball cap, the former Ukrainian Special Forces soldier strolled back and forth, chatting with the receptionist and dipping repeatedly into a bowl of free snacks.

From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026

But the back and forth, part of a tranche of hundreds of messages, emails and letters reviewed by the Journal, raises new questions about the activities of one of America’s most high-profile ambassadors.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

"Studying how quark wakes bounce back and forth will give us new insights on the quark-gluon plasma's properties," Lee says.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026

The game went back and forth until Skinner’s game-clinching, 54-yard pick-six with 1:18 left gave Notre Dame a 28-14 lead.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026

I opened the cover of the top book and waved it back and forth.

From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott

“We’ve not had to cancel a game in two years,” said John Amis, chair at the Bass Rock Cricket Club, which plays across from Elie on the southern side of the Firth of Forth.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

Wilson collaborated with John Legend and Ravi Coltrane, and released her last album, the Billie Holiday-rooted “Coming Forth by Day,” in 2015.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

Forth was so prolific at "filibustering" backbenchers bills that the Friday sessions in the House of Commons, where the bills are debated, gained the nickname "Eric Forth's killing fields".

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

Gannet chicks taken from Bass Rock in the Firth of Forth were sold in a market in Edinburgh.

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026

Then borrowing from the school’s motto, “Enter to Learn, Go Forth to Serve,” I added: “If you elect me I will go forth to serve all of you.”

From "Breaking Through" by Francisco Jiménez