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

"What this study shows will allow us to move forward with developing new quantum technologies with sound," said Safavi-Naeini, associate professor of applied physics in the Stanford School of Humanities and Sciences.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026

"You work hard to move forward in your life," she said.

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026

Suddenly, he was a known name in the secret-space-program community, as one of the initial such firsthand experiencers to come forward.

From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026

In the post, Paul expressed her “gratitude” to “all the networks that supported me throughout this and gave me the chance to return. However I don’t desire to move forward like this.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026

‘You can’t let him go!’ she cried, running forward.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

Bryan Mbeumo: A lot of strong runs but, like many Man Utd forwards, nowhere near his best.

From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026

Recognising that Sandro Tonali is better in big space facing forwards, we have seen him rotate positions with Archie Gray, who starts at right-back - a sensible tweak.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

We have seen De Zerbi's forwards in bigger spaces facing fewer defenders on numerous occasions this season already.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

He can stay wide and isolate a full-back, attack the space behind a defence or drift inside and combine with Barcelona's other forwards.

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026

Frank and Tony will be at the forwards and Nick and Trip will be the starting guards, but everybody on the team is important and everybody will get a chance to play.”

From "Slam!" by Walter Dean Myers

This “where and when am I” information gets forwarded to the lateral septum.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 12, 2026

That’s the view put forwarded by Deutsche Bank strategist Michael Hseuh, who reiterated the bank’s year-end call for gold to reach $4,600.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026

She also forwarded her ruling to disciplinary officials in New York, who had earlier received an ethics complaint about acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.

From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026

On 15 March 2025, UnknownHustler forwarded him a message, which was in effect a Foxtrot online tender for business, known by police as VaaS.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

The software also logged my “courtesy violation” and forwarded it to Trevor, my section supervisor, so that he could bring it up during my next biweekly performance review.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

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

Its express shipping and supply chain units both reported an increase in EBIT, while the freight forwarding, post and parcel Germany and e-commerce businesses registered declines.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026

Four days later he again prodded Hunt: “The delay you are causing us by not forwarding scale drawings is embarrassing in the extreme.”

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

Related Words

• address
• deliver
• dispatch
• express
• transmit