forward

adjective

for·ward | \ ˈfȯr-wərd

also ˈfō- or ˈfȯ-, Southern also ˈfär-\

Definition of forward

(Entry 1 of 4)

1a : near, being at, or belonging to the forepart the forward section of the main deck

b : situated in advance Baggage is carried in the forward cars of the train.

2a : strongly inclined : ready always forward to criticize his neighbors

b : lacking modesty or reserve : brash Poorly disciplined children are often distressingly forward.

3 : notably advanced or developed : precocious The child is very forward at walking.

4 : moving, tending, or leading toward a position in front checked the forward movement of the dog also : moving toward an opponent's goal

5a : advocating an advanced policy in the direction of what is considered progress a firm forward policy

b : extreme, radical on the forward fringe of conservatism

6 : of, relating to, or getting ready for the future forward buying of produce

forward

adverb

Definition of forward (Entry 2 of 4)

: to or toward what is ahead or in front from that time forward moved slowly forward

forward

verb

forwarded; forwarding; forwards

Definition of forward (Entry 3 of 4)

transitive verb

1 : to help onward : promote forwarded his friend's career

2a : to send forward : transmit will forward the goods on receipt of your check

b : to send or ship onward from an intermediate post or station in transit forward mail

forward

noun

Definition of forward (Entry 4 of 4)

: a player who plays at the front the team's formation near the opponent's goal a forward in hockey

Other Words from forward Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about forward

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Verb

advance, promote, forward, further mean to help (someone or something) to move ahead. advance stresses effective assisting in hastening a process or bringing about a desired end. advance the cause of peace promote suggests an encouraging or fostering and may denote an increase in status or rank. a campaign to promote better health forward implies an impetus forcing something ahead. a wage increase would forward productivity further suggests a removing of obstacles in the way of a desired advance. used the marriage to further his career

Examples of forward in a Sentence

Adjective

the forward deck of a boat the forward movement of history a very forward young woman

Adverb

Her long hair fell forward as she bent to tie her shoes. He pushed the throttle forward. She took a small step forward. The narrative moves backward and forward in time. The technology has taken a big step forward.

Verb

Your letter will be forwarded to the appropriate department. Please forward my mail to my new address.

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

The happy ending is that the most straight-forward version of this cake also tasted (and looked) the best. — Sarah Jampel, Bon Appétit, "Bet You Can’t Eat Just One Slice of This Strawberry Snacking Cake," 5 June 2019 After years of fashion-forward appearances, the singer is being honored for her stylish sensibility at The Council of Fashion Designers awards. — Teen Vogue, "Jennifer Lopez's All-Time Best Looks and Style Evolution," 17 Apr. 2019 As Abuelsamid said, there’s a chance NIO thinks there’s simply more interest in the US from investors who are familiar with tech-forward companies. — Sean O'kane, The Verge, "China’s NIO files for IPO in the US in push to compete with Tesla," 19 Aug. 2018 Walmart sees Capital One as a more tech-forward partner whose broader banking capabilities could boost the retailer’s digital ambitions, the people said. — Liz Hoffman, WSJ, "Walmart Taps Capital One for Store Cards, Dealing Blow to Synchrony," 26 July 2018 Spotify and other services' success has fostered a new interdisciplinary ecosystem of tech-forward music companies. — Cherie Hu, Billboard, "As Streaming Fuels Music Industry's Growth, More VC & Finance Veterans Move In," 4 Apr. 2018 The forward momentum is unstoppable, accomplished without any repetitive grooves. — Christian Hertzog, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Steven Schick amazes in Roberto Sierra's exuberant percussion concerto," 14 Jan. 2018 There are two objectives when skimming across water: keeping one's body above the surface, and forward propulsion. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "Geckos’ new superpower is running on water; now we know how they do it," 6 Dec. 2018 Vasquenza, a forward player, was prolific in the attacking third over the course of his 79 appearance over four years at Xavier. — Patrick Brennan, Cincinnati.com, "Live updates: Area prospects at the 2018 MLS Superdraft," 19 Jan. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adverb

There's a lot to look forward to this June — as well as much to look out for. — Randon Rosenbohm, Allure, "What Your Sign's June Horoscope Predictions Mean for You," 29 May 2019 There is so much to look forward to as the seasons change, particularly between spring and summer. — Taylor Mead, House Beautiful, "Anthropologie's Gorgeous Wine Glass Wall Shelf Is Essentially a Space-Saving Bar Cart," 22 May 2019 Looking forward Up next, McFadden will compete in a steady stream of races: a track meet in Switzerland later this month, the Peachtree Road Race in Georgia in July, and the Falmouth Road Race in Massachusetts in August. — Jenny Mccoy, SELF, "17-Time Paralympic Medalist Tatyana McFadden on Fighting for the Rights of Athletes With Disabilities," 14 May 2019 The path forward for the House and Senate bills is a marathon, not a sprint. — Christine Grimaldi, Vogue, "Senators Introduce Legislation to Finally Repeal the Hyde Amendment and End Wide-Ranging Federal Abortion-Funding Ban," 12 Mar. 2019 In volatile times, sometimes the best path forward is to take separate paths entirely. — Elizabeth Winkler, WSJ, "Unlocking Gap’s Valuation Gap," 28 Feb. 2019 The true path forward would be the opposite of this — for the White House to admit that the wall is foolish and reopen the government. — Matthew Yglesias, Vox, "The shutdown is intractable because Trump’s wall is ridiculous and Republicans know it," 8 Jan. 2019 The issue is bigger than individuals, and censure alone is not a path forward. — Esther Perel, Glamour, "One Crazy Idea to Empower Women? Focus on Men," 12 Dec. 2018 Digital First Media took a step forward in its hostile bid for Gannett Co., with a debt specialist indicating Digital First could raise the funds needed to pay for the $1.4 billion takeover. — Cara Lombardo And Lukas I Alpert, WSJ, "Oaktree Capital Expresses Confidence in Digital First’s Bid for Gannett," 20 Mar. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., at first sought $3.6 million for eight days of space and food, according to a December 2016 email, which was forwarded by one inaugural organizer to her colleagues. — Rebecca Ballhaus, WSJ, "Trump Inaugural Committee Challenged Vendor Requests and Budgeting, Documents Show," 21 Feb. 2019 Two days after Powell submitted his Arid Lands report to Schurz, the interior secretary forwarded it along to the House, which ordered 1,800 copies printed. — Johnforristerross, Longreads, "Taming the Great American Desert," 2 July 2018 The Rules Committee is scheduled on July 11 to again review the proposal before forwarding it to the full council. — David Garrick, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Long-stalled pay raises for San Diego mayor, council may be headed to ballot," 26 June 2018 The registrars then have seven days to check the names before forwarding them to the secretary of the state’s office for final review, a process that could take another week to 10 days. — Daniela Altimari, courant.com, "David Stemerman Launches New Ad Buy as He Prepares to Submit Nearly 20,000 Signatures," 11 June 2018 That would give the Wings a choice among defensemen Evan Bouchard, Noah Dobson, Adam Boqvist and forwards Oliver Wahlstrom and Jesperi Kotkaniemi. — Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press, "NHL mock draft 2.0: Projecting Detroit Red Wings first-round picks," 21 June 2018 The Pistons initially signed point guard Dwight Buycks and forward Luis Montero to two-way deals before last season. — Vince Ellis, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit Pistons won't extend offer to Oakland's Kay Felder, a RFA," 27 June 2018 In recent months, both Amazon and Google have disallowed a practice called domain-fronting, which allowed apps like Wickr to forward their traffic through the larger network as a way of evading censorship. — Russell Brandom, The Verge, "Wickr has a new plan for dodging internet blocks," 23 Aug. 2018 Troopers said the report would be forwarded to the Division of Juvenile Justice in Bethel. — Michelle Theriault Boots, Anchorage Daily News, "Western Alaska teen injured in propane huffing incident, troopers say," 29 May 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

But there are a ton of rising and established stars to watch out for, including Neymar of Brazil, Mohamed Salah or Egypt, Sergio Ramos of Spain, and South Korean forward Son Heung-min. 2. — PEOPLE.com, "5 Things to Know About the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia," 14 June 2018 The fact that those moments came in frustrating isolation, or the fact that France’s forwards couldn’t score, or the fact that most people think now that Deschamps still is too conservative a manager for so talented a group, won’t matter. — Brian Straus, SI.com, "Le Bleuprint: France Follows Familiar World Cup Path in Reaching Final," 10 July 2018 McCann and Vatrano join a crowded forward group following the addition of scoring winger Mike Hoffman. — Matthew Defranks, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Five restricted free agents receive qualifying offers from Panthers," 26 June 2018 Jalen Johnson, Manual: The 6-8 Manual forward has showed plenty of potential, averaging 22.0 points and 10.9 rebounds as a junior. — Kyle Neddenriep, Indianapolis Star, "IndyStar basketball recruiting rankings for Indiana's 2019 class," 25 June 2018 The Capitals have been getting scoring from stars Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov and from bottom-six forwards Lars Eller and Devante-Smith Pelly, but the Golden Knights’ top two lines have been largely silent the past two games. — Helene Elliott, latimes.com, "Game 4 of Stanley Cup Final can be a defining moment," 3 June 2018 With 44 goals and 14 assists in 52 games for club and country, Salah has placed himself among the world's elite forwards. — Matias Grez, CNN, "Mo Salah wins sixth individual award in an incredible season," 14 May 2018 Among the six newcomers are forwards Darian Jenkins and Shea Groom and Spanish defender Celia Jimenez Delgado. — Jayda Evans, The Seattle Times, "As the Reign starts its 2019 season, here’s what you need to know," 13 Apr. 2019 The forward momentum puts a little more pressure on your knees, which can be bothersome for many people. — Amy Marturana, SELF, "18 Lunge Variations That Will Work Your Butt From Every Angle," 5 Apr. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'forward.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.