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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

People arriving at the airport now can watch as the empty trains shuttle impotently back and forth.

From Barron's • May 27, 2026

Of note, it’s a cheap, quick flight back and forth from Reagan airport to Manchester.

From Slate • May 26, 2026

Extraordinary monolithic structures were to help bring forth new technological marvels not just for the Kingdom but for the world.

From BBC • May 25, 2026

That’s quite the achievement given the back and forth over Iran, the prospect of higher inflation stoked by rising oil prices and a surge in long-term bond yields.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026

Cat People was about shape-shifters, moving back and forth between human form and big cats, especially when they wanted to be with each other.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith