forth

1 of 2

adverb

ˈfȯrth 

1

: onward in time, place, or order : forward

from that day forth

2

: out into notice or view

put forth leaves

lava bursting forth from the volcano

3

obsolete : away, abroad

forth

2 of 2

preposition

archaic

: forth from : out of

Synonyms of forth

Adverb

• forward
• onward
• on

Examples of forth in a Sentence

Adverb

a flow of lava bursting forth from the earth

The snow is gone and the flowers are ready to spring forth.

He went forth to spread the news.

She stretched forth her hands in prayer.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb

The freshmen went back in forth, but Illinois missed its last three desperation attempts and UConn made five of its six free throws down the stretch. —Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 5 Apr. 2026

But attached to it is a casino and people can walk back and forth between the two. —Alex Crippen, CNBC, 4 Apr. 2026

Preposition

Mayor Barbara Lee had set forth a plan to make Oakland safer by adding more officers to the Broadway and Telegraph Avenue corridors and increasing traffic and parking enforcement the same week of the shooting. —Andrea Nakano, CBS News, 4 Apr. 2026

Jason, 38, and Travis, 36, discussed their upcoming plans in a recent episode of New Heights, where the former Philadelphia Eagles star and Kansas City Chiefs tight end put forth the idea to sport coordinating looks at the golf event and laughed over one idea that was quickly shut down. —Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 2 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adverb and Preposition

Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old English for

First Known Use

Adverb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Preposition

circa 1575, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing forth

• and so forth
• back-and-forth
• bring forth
• call forth
• forth of
• from that day forth
• from that day forth/forward
• hold forth
• put forth
• sally forth
• send forth
• set forth

Rhymes for forth

• fourth
• henceforth
• thenceforth

Kids Definition

forth

adverb

ˈfō(ə)rth, 

ˈfȯ(ə)rth

1

: forward entry 2, onward

from that time forth

back and forth

2

: out into view

plants putting forth leaves

Geographical Definition

Forth

geographical name

ˈfȯrth 

river 116 miles (187 kilometers) long in south central Scotland flowing east into the Firth of Forth, an estuary 48 miles (77 kilometers) long that is an inlet of the North Sea