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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Choose the Right Synonym for forward

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

This week, Rihanna looked like a fashion-forward Ghostbuster at the Louis Vuitton show in Paris. — Aubri Juhasz, The Cut, "The Best-est Party Looks of the Week," 22 June 2018 With all the trimmings from the seafood moving through Rebelle’s kitchen — sole, snapper, octopus and trout — Rebelle made a bowl of cream-forward seafood chowder that delivered big value, adventure and bacon for just $12. — Mike Sutter, San Antonio Express-News, "Review: Reborn Rebelle now San Antonio’s finest seafood restaurant," 14 June 2018 Other technologies, such as forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking can help prevent other types of drowsy driving crashes. — Paul A. Eisenstein, NBC News, "Drowsy driving is eight times more prevalent than government data suggests, says AAA," 8 Feb. 2018 Without forward progress on immigration, Graham fears there won’t be Democratic support needed for Republican priorities including a big hike in defense spending. — Steven T. Dennis, Bloomberg.com, "Senate Democrats Get Little as Shutdown Fight Ends With a Punt," 22 Jan. 2018 The Blast, who were already without forward Vini Dantas and defender Pat Healey, improved to 9-2 overall and sit atop MASL’s Eastern Division. — Glenn Graham, baltimoresun.com, "Hoxie scores winner as Blast overcome Heat, another injury for 4-3 overtime victory," 7 Jan. 2018 Blues Traveler did have other things on its collective mind -- including three management changes in a short span of time that waylaid the quintet's forward progress. — Gary Graff, Billboard, "Blues Traveler Shares 'Accelerated Nation' Lyric Video From Upcoming Album: Premiere," 13 July 2018 Free agent forward Jonas Jerebko, a native of Sweden who has played nine NBA seasons with Utah, Boston and Detroit, signed with the two-time defending champion Golden State Warriors . . — BostonGlobe.com, "US Olympic Committee tabs Sarah Hirshland as its CEO," 13 July 2018 One night before, Ledbetter didn’t provide the fancy stats, just energy via hustle and attitude — receiving a technical foul after a brief scuffle with forward Kelan Martin — against the Jazz. — Jabari Young, San Antonio Express-News, "Ledbetter staying true to his formula with Spurs Summer League team," 4 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adverb

Viewers can look forward to the return of several fan favorites including Candace Cameron Bure, Lacey Chabert, Danica McKellar, and Kellie Martin, along with the cast of When Calls the Heart who will be featured in a new holiday movie. — Jessica Leigh Mattern, Country Living, "Hallmark Extends ‘Countdown to Christmas’ Lineup to a Record 36 New Holiday Movies This Year," 11 July 2018 Having had a glimpse of the future her daughter can look forward to in Gilead, Serena is finally pushed over the brink to revolt, but in a very subtle and shrewd way. — Emma Dibdin, Harper's BAZAAR, "The Handmaid's Tale Season 2 Finale Offers a Light in the Darkness," 11 July 2018 Patagonia’s new Arbor collection of packs may borrow its looks from the company’s history, but the way this gear gets made is nothing but forward-looking. — Tim Newcomb, Popular Mechanics, "Patagonia's New Packs: Inspired by the Classics But Built for the Future," 10 July 2018 Fast forward a few weeks, and there was a pile of about seven shoe boxes in my bedroom. — Rebecca Shinners, Health.com, "These Millennial Pink Sneakers Are So Comfortable, I Haven’t Worn Anything Else This Summer," 9 July 2018 While the rest of America struggles and questions and searches its soul, the White House communications shop sends out talking points casting doubt on the women who came forward to share their stories about Roy Moore. — Megan Garber, The Atlantic, "When the White House Is a Safe Space," 6 July 2018 But Dash forward Thembi Kgatlana put the nail in the coffin in additional time. — Parth Upadhyaya, Houston Chronicle, "Rachel Daly's brace carries Dash over Pride," 12 July 2018 Fast-forward to today, and little progress has been made. — Kelsey Brugger, Scientific American, "Alaska Wants to Fight Warming While Still Drilling for Oil," 12 July 2018 In 1993-94, Fedorov was awarded the Hart Memorial Trophy (most valuable player of the regular season) and the Frank J. Selke Trophy (top defensive forward) — something no player since has replicated. — Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press, "Should Detroit Red Wings retire Sergei Fedorov's No. 91? It's time.," 12 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The Navy forwarded a touching letter with coordinates of the ship at the time of burial, details that my father would’ve appreciated. — Liz Arnold, Longreads, "Making Peace with the Site of a Suicide," 11 July 2018 His office forwarded a request from Annapolis Mayor Gavin Buckley to the White House to have American flags lowered in recognition of the shooting at the newspaper. — Pamela Wood, baltimoresun.com, "Annapolis Independence Day parade honors freedom of the press, especially for The Capital," 5 July 2018 Jordan forwarded the emails to the U.S. Capitol Police, which is reviewing them, Fox reported. — NBC News, "Fourth Ohio State wrestler says Rep. Jim Jordan knew about sexual abuse when he was coach," 5 July 2018 Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green repeated the team's stance about skipping the White House visit, saying on CNN the visit isn't about President Donald Trump, instead of issues the team stands for. — Scooby Axson, SI.com, "Draymond Green on Warriors Skipping White House Visit: We Would Say No To Trump Again," 26 June 2018 After an audit found the group had spending issues, Cranley forwarded a budget to council that slashed the entire $750,000 the Health Gap got from the city this year. — Sharon Coolidge, Cincinnati.com, "Cincinnati council members agreed on a budget. Here are the winners and losers.," 25 June 2018 Arty would forward the e-tickets to Gladys’s brothers’ company, which had an e-mail address. — Joseph O’neill, The New Yorker, "The First World," 21 June 2018 At this point last year, Maryland forward Justin Jackson was considered a first-round candidate for the 2018 NBA draft. — Vince Ellis, Detroit Free Press, "5 prospects the Detroit Pistons could draft in second round," 20 June 2018 Instead, his staff forwarded the statement made last weekend to NBC TV. — Andrea Zelinski, San Antonio Express-News, "Abbott, Patrick quiet on ‘zero tolerance policy’," 19 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Both are 6-foot-5 forwards with plenty of varsity experience. — Bob Narang, chicagotribune.com, "Brian Johnson, Frank Siegien prepare to lead Glenbrook North as seniors," 9 July 2018 Hakan Sukur, a prolific forward for Turkey, is a prominent politician in his homeland. — Martin Rogers, USA TODAY, "'Brazil's Donald Trump': World Cup fate impacts far-right presidential candidate," 6 July 2018 Conversely, Ariza does give first-year coach Igor Kokoskov something interim coach Jay Triano didn’t have last season; a reliable, defensive-minded forward who can also hit a three. — Scott Bordow, azcentral, "How Trevor Ariza fits Phoenix Suns' roster, affects cap space," 1 July 2018 Bridges is a tough forward who is good friends with NBA world champ Draymond Green, another former Michigan State star. — Langston Wertz Jr., charlotteobserver, "Hornets get Miles Bridges, not Michael Porter Jr., in Thursday's NBA draft. Social media reacts," 21 June 2018 Porter and Marvin Bagley III will likely be the first forwards to hear their names called during Thursday's NBA Draft. — William Wilkerson, star-telegram, "Vote: Who will Mavs take No. 5 overall in NBA Draft?," 20 June 2018 Knox, a 6-foot-9 forward, grew up in the Tampa area. — Josh Robbins, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Kentucky forward Kevin Knox works out for Orlando Magic," 5 June 2018 The other two signees are 6-7 forwards Rashaad Goolsby of Phoenix College and Robert McCoy of San Diego Community College. — Andrew Nemec, OregonLive.com, "Listen: What does Oregon Ducks' California push mean for recruiting?," 21 May 2018 Luther doesn't being the same shot-blocking element as Owens, but is more of a skilled forward who can pass and stretch his jump shot out to the 3-point line. — Bill Landis, cleveland.com, "Ohio State basketball grad transfer tracker: Potential targets for the Buckeyes," 26 Mar. 2018

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.