forward

play

adjective for·ward \ ˈfȯr-wərd also ˈfō- or ˈfȯ- , Southern also ˈfär- \

Definition of forward

1 a :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.

2 a :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

5 a :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

—

forwardly

adverb

—

forwardness

noun

See forward defined for English-language learners

See forward defined for kids

Examples of forward in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of forward from the Web

KV has reason for optimism with seniors such as forward Robert Poppe, defender Eliseo Varela and goalkeeper Noah Witkowski, and junior forward/midfielder Cole Capps.

— michael osipoff, Post-Tribune, "Boys soccer season preview: Munster steps up as Region's top team," 15 Aug. 2017
Instead, the White House ultimately responded with a short, ambiguous, and misleading response, allegedly written in the forward cabin of Air Force One, where the president himself dictated to Hicks, who shared edits between Trump and his son.

— isobel thompson, vanityfair.com, "The F.B.I. May Have Caught a Big Break in the Russia Investigation," 1 Aug. 2017
In a forward cabin, Trump was busy working on his son’s statement, according to people with knowledge of events.

— margaret hartmann, Daily Intelligencer, "President Trump Dictated Don Jr.’s Misleading Statement on His Russia Meeting: Report," 1 Aug. 2017
In a forward cabin, Trump was busy working on his son's statement, according to people with knowledge of events.

— chicagotribune.com, "Trump dictated son's misleading statement on meeting with Russian lawyer," 31 July 2017
Enter Premme: the duo's new brand looking to bring trendier, fashion-forward styles to the plus-size market.

— lauren alexis fisher, Harper's BAZAAR, "Bloggers Nicolette Mason and Gabi Gregg Launch Plus-Size Line, Premme," 25 July 2017
France's forward Karim Benzema celebrates after an own goal during a Group E football match between France and Honduras at the Beira-Rio Stadium in Porto Alegre during the 2014 FIFA World Cup on June 15, 2014.

— michelle kaufman, miamiherald, "From Messi to Ronaldo to Neymar and beyond. The who’s who of soccer elite in Miami this week.," 24 July 2017
The forward spread had slowed considerbly, and the fire was reported as 10 percent contained.

— kristina davis, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Brush fire spreads near Warner Springs, prompts evacuations," 22 July 2017
Education is the key to equality, and forward progress is impossible without it.

— trisha powell crain, AL.com, "Examining the achievement gap between white and black students in Alabama," 5 July 2017

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.

Origin and Etymology of forward

Middle English, from Old English foreweard, from fore- + -weard -ward

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

forward Synonyms

Synonyms

bold, familiar, presumptuous, free, immodest, overfamiliar, presuming

Antonyms

modest, unassuming

Near Antonyms

demure, down-to-earth, humble, lowly, meek, unassertive, unpretentious; bashful, mousy (or mousey), retiring, shy, timid, timorous; diffident, self-doubting

forward

adverb

Definition of forward

:to or toward what is ahead or in front

from that time forward

moved slowly forward

See forward defined for English-language learners

Examples of forward in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of forward from the Web

The Deadline Day Dugout experience will be held at Boxpark in Shoreditch on deadline day and will give members of the public the opportunity to try and save a penalty from the League Two forward, who already has two goals this season.

— SI.com, "Yahoo Daily Fantasy to Pit Fans Against Adebayo 'the Beast' Akinfenwa in Deadline Day Challenge," 31 Aug. 2017
Silvio De Sousa, a 6-foot-9, 220-pound senior power forward from IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., has committed to the Kansas men’s basketball team, his guardian Fenny Falmagne told The Star on Wednesday.

— gary bedore, kansascity, "KU hoops lands top-25 recruit in forward Silvio De Sousa," 30 Aug. 2017
Google’s push to place its digital assistant, the search giant’s new product centerpiece, inside every consumer appliance imaginable is edging forward.

— Fortune, "Google Will Now Talk Through Speakers, Fridges, and Even Vacuums," 30 Aug. 2017
Reaching Back To Go Forward And there the course was set for UConn football moving forward.

— mike anthony, courant.com, "Stepping Up? AD David Benedict’s Fingerprints All Over UConn Football Program," 30 Aug. 2017
The conversations have included House lawmakers, from moderates to members of the very conservative Freedom Caucus, to find a way forward.

— alex demarban, Alaska Dispatch News, "Murkowski, key Republican vote on health care, says a new bill will be more bipartisan and target costs," 30 Aug. 2017
Anyway, fast forward to the present, where I, a successful career woman, am invited to a singles mixer in the Hamptons where the premise is that all the dudes are of elite millionaire status.

— sable yong, Allure, "I Went to a Mixer for Millionaire Bachelors — Here's What Happened," 30 Aug. 2017
Kopp has drawn comparisons to former Butler forward Gordon Hayward, who was unranked coming out of Brownsburg High School and became an NBA All-Star.

— david woods, Indianapolis Star, "Houston flooding might prevent prospect from visiting Butler," 29 Aug. 2017
The truck lurched forward and hit the car in front of it, according to Lt.

— hannah fry, Daily Pilot, "Rescuers use Jaws of Life to free man from his vehicle after crash on Newport Boulevard," 28 Aug. 2017

Origin and Etymology of forward

see ¹forward

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

forward Synonyms

Synonyms

ahead, forth, along, forwards, on, onward (also onwards)

Related Words

before, fore, frontward (or frontwards)

Near Antonyms

back, backward (or backwards), behind, rearward (also rearwards)

forward

verb

Definition of forward

transitive verb

1 :to help onward :promote

forwarded his friend's career

2 a :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

See forward defined for English-language learners

Examples of forward in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of forward from the Web

Ware first heard of the practice a few years ago when an investigator forwarded him a clip from San Diego’s 10 News.

— kristina davis, sandiegouniontribune.com, "'Ghost guns' are easy to build, legal and completely untraceable," 27 Aug. 2017
Monica forwarded the emails from the NYU researchers to me.

— katti gray, Washington Post, "When Alzheimer’s hit, she joined a clinical trial. Where were the other black women?," 20 Aug. 2017
Pleasure Ridge Park (7-11-1) has a large senior class led by midfielders Sarah Bolton and Emily Schroeder (four goals), forwards Jordan Samples (five goals) and Lana Henry and defenders Ava Wright and Taylor Sparks.

— jason frakes, The Courier-Journal, "Sacred Heart soccer team seeks another long postseason run," 11 Aug. 2017
That video was forwarded to us as a result of the public outcry from the first shark dragging video.

— carli teproff, miamiherald, "He shoots a shark to death and laughs. It’s caught on video. Now it’s under investigation.," 3 Aug. 2017
Then Try: Forwarding certain emails as text messages Find the Rules section of your email app, and create one for the addresses of any VIP sender.

— alexander george, Popular Mechanics, "5 Hacks to Make Email Suck a Little Less," 31 July 2017
The case has been forwarded to the Department of Juvenile Services.

— allan vought, The Aegis, "Damage from Joppatowne playground fire estimated at $40,000, county says," 30 June 2017
Neither sounded alarms publicly and OutGames, apparently, never forwarded their board resignations to the state of Florida.

— joey flechas and steve rothaus, miamiherald, "World OutGames Miami raised more than $1 million, but they couldn’t pay their bills.," 18 June 2017
Yogiata Sharma, a research analyst with Allied Market Research, wrote in an email forwarded to me that the North American mobile wallets market is expected to reach $22.4 billion by 2002.

— bill daley, chicagotribune.com, "Say goodbye to wallets," 13 June 2017

Origin and Etymology of forward

see ¹forward

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1596

See Words from the same year

forward Synonyms

Synonyms

advance, cultivate, encourage, foster, further, incubate, nourish, nurse, nurture, promote

Antonyms

discourage, frustrate, hinder, inhibit

Related Words

advocate, back, champion, endorse (also indorse), support, uphold; endow, finance, fund, patronize, stake, subsidize, underwrite; abet, aid, assist; advertise, boost, plug, publicize, tout; agitate (for), campaign (for), work (for)

Near Antonyms

ban, bar, enjoin, forbid, interdict, outlaw, prevent, prohibit, proscribe; battle, combat, contend (with), counter, fight, oppose; repress, snuff (out), squash, squelch, stifle, subdue, suppress; arrest, check, halt, retard; encumber, fetter, hobble, impede, interfere (with), manacle, obstruct, shackle

Synonym Discussion of forward

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

forward

noun

Definition of forward

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

a forward in hockey

See forward defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of forward from the Web

The Targa had a foldable top from the roll-bar forward and a soft canvas cover with a flexible plastic window that could be unzipped from the car and removed.

— hannah elliott, Bloomberg.com, "Mighty, Cute: The Colorful History of the Best-Selling Porsche 911," 8 Aug. 2017
Forwards who can connect passes, and maintain possession, are of greater value to Sporting now.

— sam mellinger, kansascity, "How & why Peter Vermes prepared for years to sell Sporting Kansas City’s best player," 4 Aug. 2017
But there's more good news: These fruit-forward punches taste just as good in a punch glass.

— nikita richardson, Bon Appetit, "3 Easy Summer Cocktails Served in Fruit, Because You Deserve It," 2 Aug. 2017
For more than 20 years, Snopes has been a destination for batting down the urban legends and viral misinformation all too commonly found on the internet, first in email forwards and later in popular but misleading articles.

— daniel victor, New York Times, "Snopes, in Heated Legal Battle, Asks Readers for Money to Survive," 24 July 2017
The Hoosiers landed pledges from four-star small forwards Jerome Hunter and Damezi Anderson on Monday.

— fletcher page, The Courier-Journal, "Kentucky, Indiana make the cut for 2018 five-star recruit," 21 July 2017
Union Pasadena, $$ Bruce Kalman’s produce-forward Italian cooking is all balance and ease.

— garrett snyder, Los Angeles Magazine, "The Los Angeles Magazine Hot Restaurant List for July 2017," 18 July 2017
Born in London, England, the athletic combo forward gives Toronto a physical presence around the rim, as well as some roster flexibility with forwards Serge Ibaka, P.J. Tucker and Patrick Patterson all unrestricted free agents this summer.

— Post-Tribune, "Indiana's OG Anunoby, Purdue's Caleb Swanigan picked in first round," 22 June 2017
Forwards Josh Jackson of Kansas and Jayson Tatum of Duke should be early selections.

— brian mcalister, AL.com, "NBA Draft live updates: See who is selected in the first round," 22 June 2017

Origin and Etymology of forward

see ¹forward

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1879

See Words from the same year

FORWARD Defined for English Language Learners

forward

play

adjective

Definition of forward for English Language Learners

: near or belonging to the front part of something
: moving or directed ahead or toward the front
: moving toward the future or toward a more advanced state or condition

forward

adverb

Definition of forward for English Language Learners

: toward the front : to or toward what is ahead or in front
: toward the future
: to or toward a more advanced state or condition

forward

verb

Definition of forward for English Language Learners

: to send (something you have received, such as a letter) to someone else
: to send (something that has arrived, such as a letter) to another place
: to help (something) make progress or continue to a more advanced state

forward

noun

Definition of forward for English Language Learners

sports : a player who plays near the opponent's goal

FORWARD Defined for Kids

forward

play

adjective for·ward \ ˈfȯr-wərd \

Definition of forward for Students

1 :near, at, or belonging to the front part

a ship's forward deck

2 :moving, tending, or leading to a position in front

He made a sudden forward movement.

3 :lacking proper modesty or reserve

forward

adverb

variants: or forwards \ˈfȯr-wərdz\

Definition of forward for Students

:to or toward what is in front

Everyone moved forward.

forward

verb

Definition of forward for Students

forwarded; forwarding

1 :to send on or ahead

forward a letter

2 :to help onward :advance

forward a cause

forward

noun

Definition of forward for Students

:a player at or near the front of his or her team or near the opponent's goal

Law Dictionary

forward

noun for·ward

legal Definition of forward

:forward contract at contract

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See words that rhyme with forward Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for forward Spanish Central: Translation of forward Nglish: Translation of forward for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of forward for Arabic speakers

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forward

Definition of forward

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Origin and Etymology of forward

forward Synonyms

Synonyms

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forward

Definition of forward

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Origin and Etymology of forward

forward Synonyms

Synonyms

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forward

Definition of forward

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FORWARD Defined for English Language Learners

forward

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forward

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forward

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forward

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FORWARD Defined for Kids

forward

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forward

Definition of forward for Students

forward

Definition of forward for Students

forward

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Law Dictionary

forward

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