forward

FAWR-wurd/ˈfɔɹwəɹd/UKFAW-wuhd/ˈfɔːwəd/

Verbforwards, forwarding, forwarded

Noun pluralforwards

Often confused with foreword

26 meanings of forward

Practice

1
onwards (motion)adverb
In the direction one is facing or traveling; onward, literally or in progress.
The crowd surged forward when the gates opened.
Despite the setback, the negotiations inched forward over the following weeks.
UsageCommon with verbs of movement: move forward, step forward, lean forward; go forward with a plan means go ahead with it.
Similarahead, onward, on
Oppositebackward, back
2
onward in timeadverb
Onward into the future, from the present moment or from a specified point in time.
Going forward, the committee will meet monthly instead of weekly.
From that night forward, she never missed a day of practice.
UsageUsually after a starting point: from this day forward, from that night forward; going forward means from now on.
Similaronward, ahead, forth, onwards
Note
The American novelist Winston Churchill's The Celebrity (1898) uses the pattern: "from that time forward she became her old self again." The phrase marks a lasting change that begins at a set moment, which is why it suits vows, new rules and turning points.
3
pass on (message)verbtransitive
To send a letter, email, or other message on to a third party or another address.
She forwarded the invoice to the accounting department for payment.
Could you forward the meeting notes to anyone who missed the call?
UsageYou forward something to someone: forward the email to the team.
Similarsend, pass, relay, redirect, transmit
4
front partadjective
Located at or toward the front of something, such as a vehicle or vessel; in military use, positioned near the enemy's lines.
The forward cabin of the yacht holds two narrow bunks.
Archers occupied the forward towers of the castle.
UsageUsually before a noun: the forward cabin, forward positions.
Similarfront, fore, leading, advanced
Oppositerear, back, aft
5
attacker (sport)nouncountable
In team sports such as soccer and hockey, a player in an attacking position, mainly responsible for scoring.
The coach pulled a forward and added a defender to protect the lead.
Both forwards pressed high, forcing the defenders into mistakes.
Similarattacker
Oppositedefender
Note
Soccer's attacking line plays nearest the opposing goal, so scoring falls chiefly to the forwards. Striker, attacker and front man can stand in for the word. Forward is the term tied most directly to the line itself, the row closest to the opponents' goal.
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts
Soccer forwards occupy the attacking line nearest the opposing goal. en.wikipedia.org
Forwards are chiefly responsible for scoring. en.wikipedia.org
6
promoteverbtransitive
To advance or promote something, such as a cause, plan, or interest.
The foundation forwards scientific research through grants and fellowships.
Diplomats worked for months to forward the cause of peace in the region.
UsageUsually with an abstract object: forward the cause of peace, forward someone's interests.
Similaradvance, promote, further, foster, boost
Oppositehinder, impede, obstruct, hamper
7
onward-movingadjective
Moving or directed toward the front or in the direction of travel.
The plane's forward velocity dropped sharply as the flaps deployed.
A forward pass in football must be thrown from behind the line of scrimmage.
Oppositebackward, rearward
8
progress-makingadjectivefiguratively
Moving in the desired direction of progress, as of plans, negotiations, or other developments.
The cease-fire was the first forward movement in the peace process for years.
Investors took the prototype as proof of genuine forward momentum at the startup.
UsageCommon pairings: forward movement, forward momentum, forward progress.
Similarpositive, onward, progressive
Oppositebackward, retrograde, regressive
9
basketballnouncountable
Either of two basketball positions (small forward or power forward) played by athletes typically taller than guards but shorter than centers.
The veteran forward stretched the defense with his outside shooting.
At six-foot-nine, she moved between the forward and center positions.
Note
Basketball has two kinds of forward, small forward and power forward, and both are frontcourt positions. The players are sized between guards and centers, so the word also works as a rough height bracket. On its own it covers either role.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
Basketball has two forward positions: small forward and power forward. jr.nba.com
Both forward positions belong to the frontcourt. assets.fiba.basketball
Forwards generally occupy the middle height bracket between guards and centers. old.web.bbe.customerdns.com
10
expected lateradjective
Anticipated or arranged for a time still to come.
The mill reported strong forward bookings through next spring.
Analysts focused on the company's forward earnings rather than last year's results.
Similarfuture, prospective, projected, advance, expected
Oppositetrailing, past, historical
Note
Finance uses forward for prices and figures that look ahead. Forward earnings are what a company is expected to make, and forward delivery means goods handed over at a later date. Its natural foil is spot, the price for delivery now, and the two can differ, with forward sometimes above spot. The same idea, turned into a noun, names the private future contract.
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 5 facts
Forward earnings represent expected company earnings. international.schwab.com
Forward delivery involves delivery at a future date. cmegroup.com
Spot prices concern immediate delivery. cftc.gov
Forward prices can exceed spot prices. cmegroup.com
A forward is a private agreement for a future transaction. idd.ice.com
11
earlieradverb
To an earlier point in time, as when an event or deadline is rescheduled.
The airline brought the departure forward by an hour.
The school moved the exam forward from Friday to Thursday because of the storm.
UsageUsually bring or move something forward, meaning earlier: brought the meeting forward to Monday.
Similarearlier
Oppositeback
Note
Rescheduling hides a trap. To move a meeting forward an hour can mean making it earlier, from three o'clock to two, but some listeners hear later, depending on how they picture time moving. Yet putting the clocks forward, in the onward sense, sets the hands later.
12
rugbynouncountable
In rugby, one of the eight players in the pack (props, hooker, locks, flankers, and number eight) whose primary task is to gain and keep possession of the ball.
A forward must be powerful enough to drive through tackles at close quarters.
The forwards won a clean lineout deep in opposition territory.
Oppositeback
Note
Rugby divides a team into forwards and backs, and the forwards make up the pack: two props, a hooker, two locks, two flankers and a number eight. Their work is winning and keeping the ball, which the backs then use.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
In the fifteen-a-side rugby union described here, a team comprises eight forwards and seven backs. world.rugby
The forward pack comprises two props, one hooker, two locks, two flankers and one number eight. en.wikipedia.org
Winning and retaining possession for subsequent use by the backs is a central function of the forwards. world.rugby
13
to the bowadverb
At, near, or toward the bow of a vessel, relative to the vessel itself.
The lookout stood forward, scanning the sea for ice.
All cargo was shifted forward to raise the stern.
Oppositeaft, astern
Note
On board, forward is fixed by the ship itself rather than by where it is heading: it always points toward the bow. Rider Haggard's She (1886–87) shows this plainly. The men are sleeping forward while Mahomed stands at the tiller, at the other end of the boat.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
Rider Haggard wrote She, first published serially in 1886–87. en.wikipedia.org
In She, men sleep forward while Mahomed stands at the tiller. gutenberg.org

Less common meanings

14
too boldadjective
Bold or presumptuous beyond what is considered polite; lacking customary restraint or modesty.
Some guests thought it forward of her to request an invitation outright.
He apologized for being too forward and quickly changed the subject.
UsageOften it was forward of someone to do something, or too forward.
Similarpresumptuous, bold, pushy, brash, cheeky
Oppositeshy, reserved, modest, diffident
Note
Here the forwardness is social: someone pushes past the restraint that manners expect. It fits neatly into the frame it is forward of someone to do something, as in Neil Gaiman's Stardust (1997–98): "Would you think it forward of me to kiss you?" Fielding's Tom Jones (1749) shows the older worry, a lady who must encourage a suitor without appearing too forward.
15
right way roundadverb
So that the front and back are in their usual orientation; not reversed.
After the joke, he spun his cap around so the brim sat forward again.
He wears his cap backward at practice but forward in class.
Oppositebackward, backwards
16
chain emailnouncountable
An email message passed along to additional recipients; often a chain letter.
She deleted yet another forward from her uncle promising good luck to everyone who passed it on.
By Friday her inbox was clogged with forwards from well-meaning coworkers.
Note
An email-era noun made from the verb: once a message has been sent on to someone else, it becomes a forward, with the ordinary plural forwards. Tamara Stevens, writing in 2004, still fenced 'forwards' off with marks, perhaps a sign the noun still felt new.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
Stevens enclosed the noun forwards in quotation marks. en.wiktionary.org
17
first to lastadverb
In the usual or normal order or sequence, rather than in reverse.
Spelled forward or backward, the word 'level' reads the same.
Played forward at normal speed, the tape revealed nothing unusual.
Oppositebackward, backwards
18
standard orderadjective
Having the usual or normal order or sequence, rather than a reversed one.
A palindrome reads the same whether taken in forward or reverse order.
The audit checked every transaction in forward chronological order.
Similarnormal, regular
Oppositereverse, backward
19
advancedadjectivedated
Advanced beyond the usual degree of development; ahead of the normal time or season; precocious.
The most forward bud / Is eaten by the canker ere it blow.
c. 1590, William Shakespeare, “The Two Gentlemen of Verona”
You promiſt Knighthood to our forward ſonne, / Vnſheath your ſword, and dub him preſently.
c. 1591, William Shakespeare, “The Third Part of Henry the Sixt,”
Similarprecocious, advanced, early
Oppositebackward, late, slow
Note
A gardener's and teacher's word for whatever has got ahead of schedule: grass forward for the season, a forward spring, students forward in their learning. Shakespeare leans on it in The Two Gentlemen of Verona: "The most forward bud / Is eaten by the canker ere it blow." There, early ripeness invites early ruin.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
The quotation occurs in Shakespeare's The Two Gentlemen of Verona, spoken by Valentine in Act 1, scene 1. Its wording is accurate, with the excerpt's initial letter capitalized. folger.edu
The passage compares a precocious bud destroyed before flowering with youthful promise spoiled by love. folger.edu
20
finance contractnouncountable
A private agreement between two parties to buy or sell an asset at a set price on a future date, unlike a futures contract, which is standardized and traded on an exchange.
The two banks negotiated a currency forward maturing in ninety days.
Because each forward is privately negotiated, the parties bear each other's credit risk.
Note
The private, made-to-measure cousin of the futures contract. Two parties agree directly to buy or sell an asset at a fixed future point, and the terms are negotiated privately rather than traded on an exchange. The fuller name is forward contract. It carries the same look-ahead as the "future-dated" adjective in forward prices.
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 4 facts
Forward contracts are privately negotiated and customized. home.treasury.gov
The parties agree to buy or sell an asset at a specified future time. cmegroup.com
Forward contracts have individually negotiated terms, but they can incorporate industry standard terms. sc.com
Forward contracts are not traded on an exchange. en.wikipedia.org
21
adjectiveobsolete
Ready and prompt; eagerly or ardently inclined; in a negative sense, overly eager or hasty.
Nor do we find him forward to be sounded.
c. 1599, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”
Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do.
1611, The Holy Bible, King James Version
Note
An obsolete sense that survives in the King James Bible of 1611 and in Hamlet: "the same which I also was forward to do," "Nor do we find him forward to be sounded." It takes to plus a verb and means willing or quick to act, with a shade of rashness when disapproved. Modern readers can mistake it for the "pushy" meaning, but in these texts it means eagerness, not impudence.
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 6 facts
The sense meaning ready, prompt or eagerly inclined is obsolete. en.wiktionary.org
The King James Bible was first published in 1611. bridwell.omeka.net
The first quotation occurs in the King James Bible, Galatians 2:10. en.wikisource.org
The second quotation occurs in Hamlet, Act 3, scene 1, spoken by Guildenstern. internetshakespeare.uvic.ca
The quoted sense admits a to-infinitive complement. en.wikisource.org
The sense expresses willingness or eagerness, with a disapproving sense of excessive eagerness or haste; both quotations illustrate this sense rather than impudence. en.wiktionary.org
22
nounobsolete
An agreement or covenant between parties.
Note
A different word that happens to share the spelling: Old English foreweard, "condition, bargain, agreement," built from fore- and ward, "keeping," not from the directional -ward.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
The agreement sense has a separate etymology, deriving from Old English foreweard meaning condition, bargain, or agreement. en.wiktionary.org
Its second element means keeping, rather than being the directional suffix. en.wiktionary.org
23
nounrare
The front section of a ship or other vessel.
24
verbdialectal
To arrive; to come to a place.
25
verb
To assemble a book by sewing its sections together, attaching the cover boards, and completing similar structural steps.
26
adverb
In the front part of something or close to it, or toward that part, as in 'sit farther forward.'

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of forward apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origins

Meanings 1–21

Proto-Germanic roots meaning "fore-" and "turned" combined in Old English foreweard ("inclined to the front, forward, early, former"), which became Middle English foreward. In English terms it is fore + -ward. Dutch voorwaarts and German vorwärts ("forward") are related.

Meaning 22

Old English foreweard ("agreement, bargain, condition, contract, treaty") was built from fore- and ward ("ward, keeping") and became Middle English foreward. Relatives include Scots forward ("covenant, compact") and Dutch voorwaarde ("condition, terms, stipulation").