forward pass

American  

noun

Football.

1. a pass in which the ball is thrown in the direction of advance toward the opponent's goal.

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forward pass British  

noun

1. Also called: throw-forward.  rugby an illegal pass towards the opponent's dead-ball line

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Etymology

Origin of forward pass

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

forward pass

Tom Brady retired, then unretired, then retired again, and that dude still seems like he wants to put on a helmet and show Raiders fans what a forward pass should look like.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026

Each forward pass strengthens the wave, while each backward pass weakens it.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 17, 2026

Already, Tipping is as allergic to subtlety as a forward pass right down the middle on the 50-yard line — or whatever football play would be a really obvious one.

From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2025

A team of players who go side to side with no one willing to try something different to create space for a forward pass.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2025

In general they have frowned on the forward pass; opposed it, sneered at it, called it basketball and done what they could to retard its adoption.

From The Forward Pass in Football by Berry, Elmer