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

"We've told Sela and the team 'if you want to do it in America, these are the terms that we can move forward with. But we'd rather not please'."

From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026

As games gross margin hit 76.1% in 2Q, the bank sees limited room for increases going forward.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

I look forward to 26 more — in my way.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

After a long and somewhat uncomfortable few days of news, aren’t you looking forward to the weekend?

From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2026

He waved me forward from behind his desk.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

The sight of the centre-backs standing tall, studs on the ball, waiting for the opposition forwards to become impatient before closing them down felt unnatural but it was purposeful.

From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026

Tottenham are in talks with Manchester City over a double deal for forwards Savinho and Omar Marmoush.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

Wide forwards Sadio Mane and Son Heung-min have also claimed a share of the Golden Boot in the past eight years.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

Heisenberg: McBurnie is one of the most interesting £5.5m forwards in the game.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

And at that moment Sam too lurched and fell forwards.

From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien

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

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

When a gossip column publicized their relationship in 1974, President Ford forwarded it to his chief of staff with a note: “I don’t believe it.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026

Some three months after Ruess departed Escalante, his parents received a bundle of unopened mail forwarded from the postmaster at Marble Canyon, Arizona, where Everett was long overdue.

From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer

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

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

“I am totally shocked that she was forwarding electronic correspondence to Epstein.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 19, 2026

Jonah noticed that some of the Winstons’ letters had those yellow forwarding stickers the post office used when people moved, covering an old address with the new one.

From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Related Words

• address
• deliver
• dispatch
• express
• transmit