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.

---

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

---

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.

---

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

Several months later, my program ended and I was left without a clear path forward.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026

In his interview Sir Mark praised the "bravery" of the women who came forward to tell "their story" to the police and during the trial.

From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026

After Thursday’s decline, the SOX was valued at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 13 — its lowest level since Jan. 23, 2019, when the index closed at 1,185.94, or 87% below Thursday’s close.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026

Brzeski pointed to structural issues such as rising Chinese competition and higher interest rates as key headwinds facing the sector going forward.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

In his experience, wandering souls, while they did not know how to move forward, never seemed interested in going back.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

"It's as if we're going backwards rather than forwards," she said.

From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026

The vehicle reverses, crashing into a parked car, before pulling forwards.

From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026

While Wales provided threat going forwards, in defence they provided little resistance as England's powerful attack pierced through with frightening ease.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

However, the team’s ceiling will rest on the influence of new forwards Brandon Ingram and Rui Hachimura.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026

But when we made a move towards her, she too came forwards, and—perhaps I imagined it—tucked her shoulders in tightly as she passed between us.

From "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro

Scotland Yard said the letter contained claims about offending outside the UK and that it had been forwarded to "the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for their awareness".

From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026

She forwarded Deters the messages she’d sent to the new Internal Revenue Service chief and updated him on her efforts to lobby the Justice Department on his behalf.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

He forwarded us the rules for starting a microschool, which involve providing proof of a high school diploma, at least.

From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026

Razo said the city became suspicious when someone forwarded a message in which academy officials directed parents to register their children under the league for the fall season after the registration deadline.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

He’d actually read it in a newspaper article Grace had forwarded to his phone on the bus ride down to the campus.

From "The Smartest Kid in the Universe" by Chris Grabenstein

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

From MarketWatch ● May 8, 2026

In freight forwarding, the company said the business suffered from lower freight rates and currency effects, despite higher air and ocean freight volumes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026

The company later introduced limits on message forwarding, labelled forwarded messages and launched public awareness campaigns.

From BBC ● Apr. 23, 2026

On Thursday, a United Nations committee concluded that Mexico’s disappearance crisis constituted “crimes against humanity” and took what it called the “exceptional step” of forwarding the matter to the General Assembly.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 6, 2026

No one thought it was worth forwarding to the FBI in Washington.

From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• address
• deliver
• dispatch
• express
• transmit

---