forward

Situated toward or at the front of something.

Adjective

  1. Situated toward or at the front of something.
    • The fire was confined to the forward portion of the store.
    • the forward gun in a ship
    • the forward ship in a fleet

    1. (of troops, guns etc.) Situated toward or near the enemy lines.

      • The forward battalion took a hammering.
  2. Acting in or pertaining to the direction in which someone or something is facing.
    • My forward vision is fine, but my peripheral vision is poor.
  3. Acting in or pertaining to the direction of travel or movement.
    • forward motion, forward thrust, forward momentum
  4. Moving in the desired direction of progress.
    • This is an important forward step for the country.
    • The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today. Let us move forward with strong and active faith. - 1945 April 12, Franklin D. Roosevelt, “Franklin D. Roosevelt's Last Message to the American...
  5. Having the usual order or sequence.
    • The front of the fire engine has backward writing, that can be read in a mirror, as well as forward writing.
  6. Expected or scheduled to take place in the future.
    • The stock price is currently 12 times forward earnings.
    • The price for forward delivery is presently higher than the spot price.
  7. Advanced beyond the usual degree; advanced for the season; precocious.
    • These students are very forward in their learning.
    • The grass is forward, or forward for the season. We have a forward spring.
    • The most forward bud / Is eaten by the canker ere it blow. - c. 1590–1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Two Gentlemen of Verona”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First...
  8. Without customary restraint or modesty; bold, cheeky, pert, presumptuous or pushy.
    • She is a very forward young lady, not afraid to speak her mind.
    • […] the lady conceived the same desires with himself, and was on her side contriving how to give the captain proper encouragement, without appearing too forward; for she was a strict observer of all rules of decorum. -...
    • He said that if one offered himself to be a soldier under him, who was forward to tell what he could or would do, if he could only get sight of the enemy, he had but little confidence in him. - 1859, Henry David...
  9. Prominent, emphasized (or, in combinations, emphasizing).
    • Pecan Porter […] beer is malty and rich with a very forward flavor of pecans with hints of molasses and burnt caramel and has a very great finish. - 2015 June 1, Mike Cortez, Beer Lover's Texas: Best Breweries, Brewpubs...
    • [Margaret Encino, seeking an Acme-Ashmun sponsorship:] And we could continue to make Acme-Ashmun forward content. - 2022 March 30, "Go Big or Go Home", Dimension 20: A Starstruck Odyssey (Dropout), 2:39:31
    • […] appetizing home bakes as well as moreish desserts and citrus-forward drinks and cocktails. - 2023 June 13, Ryland Peters & Small, Frozen Sweet Treats & Desserts, Ryland Peters & Small, →ISBN:
  10. Ready; prompt; ardently inclined; in a bad sense, eager or hasty.
    • 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), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Galatians 2:10:
    • Nor do we find him forward to be sounded. - c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio),...

Origin

From Middle English foreward, from Old English foreweard (“forward, inclined to the front, fore, early, former”), from Proto-Germanic *fura- (“fore-”), *warþaz (“turned”), equivalent to fore + -ward. Cognate with Dutch voorwaarts (“forward”), German vorwärts (“forward”).

Forms

further forward farther forward more forward forwarder furthest forward farthest forward most forward forwardmost forwardest foreward forrard forrad forred

Synonyms

anterior front forecast predicted bold fresh impertinent brazen

Antonyms

back posterior rear antonym(s) of restrained

Adverb

  1. At, near or towards the front of something.
    • She was sitting well forward in the railway carriage.
    • The bus driver told everyone standing up to move forward.
    • A great bargain also had been the excellent Axminster carpet which covered the floor; as, again, the arm-chair in which Bunting now sat forward, staring into the dull, small fire. In fact, that arm-chair had been an...

    1. (nautical) At, near, or towards the bow of a vessel (with the frame of reference within the vessel).

      • Most of the men are sleeping forward, for it is near midnight, but a stout swarthy Arab, Mahomed by name, stands at the tiller, lazily steering by the stars. - 1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A...
  2. In the direction in which someone or something is facing.
    • I leant forward to get a better look.
    • The grandfather clock toppled forward and crashed to the ground.
  3. In the desired or usual direction of movement or progress, physically or figuratively; onwards.
    • After spending an hour stuck in the mud, we could once again move forward.
    • Wind the film forward a few frames.
    • Don't forget to put the clocks forward by one hour tonight!
  4. So that front and back are in the usual orientation.
    • Don't wear your baseball cap backward; turn it forward.
  5. In the usual order or sequence.
    • A palindrome reads the same backward as forward.
  6. Into the future.
    • From this day forward, there will be no more brussels sprouts at the cafeteria.
    • The humor of my proposition appealed more strongly to Miss Trevor than I had looked for, and from that time forward she became her old self again; for, even after she had conquered her love for the Celebrity, the...
  7. To an earlier point in time. See also bring forward.
    • The meeting has been moved forward an hour. It was at 3 o'clock; now it's at 2 o'clock.

Forms

foreward forrard forrad forred

Synonyms

forwards ahead forth on onward onwards hereon

Antonyms

back backward backwards rearwards in reverse into the past

Hyponyms

straightforward

Derived

backward in coming forward spring forward, fall back

Noun ball games, games

  1. One of the eight players (comprising two props, one hooker, two locks, two flankers and one number eight, collectively known as the pack) whose primary task is to gain and maintain possession of the ball (compare back).

    Synonyms: attacker striker front man

    Hypernyms: player person

    1. One of the eight players (comprising two props, one hooker, two locks, two flankers and one number eight, collectively known as the pack) whose primary task is to gain and maintain possession of the ball (compare back).

      Synonyms: attacker striker front man

      Hypernyms: player person

  2. An umbrella term for a centre or winger in ice hockey.
  3. The small forward or power forward position; two frontcourt positions that are taller than guards but shorter than centers.
  4. The front part of a vessel.
  5. An e-mail message that is forwarded to another recipient or recipients; an electronic chain letter.
    • When you receive your new pen-pal's email address, do not automatically put it in your address book and use the email Addy to send 'forwards' to. Not every pen pal likes 'forwards', especially jokes and meaningless...
    • This method attaches the files to a new email, which is fine if you want to create a new email. The only problem with this is that it doesn't work if you'd rather send forwards or replies. - 2009, Joli Ballew, Windows 7...
  6. A direct agreement between two parties to buy or sell an asset at a specific point in the future; distinguished from a futures contract in that the latter is standardized and traded on an exchange.

    Synonyms: forward contract

  7. Misspelling of foreword (“preface or introduction”).

Forms

forwards foreward forrard forrad forred

Derived

back and forward backward and forward backward in coming forward blow forward cab forward carriage forward carry forward carryforward center forward centre-forward come forward corner forward fashion-forward fast forward fast-forward feedforward feed forward feed-forward flashforward flash forward forwardable forwardal forward and backward forward assist

Noun dialectal, obsolete

  1. Agreement; covenant.

Origin

From Middle English foreward, from Old English foreweard (“condition, bargain, agreement, contract, treaty, assurance”), equivalent to fore- + ward (“ward, keeping”). Cognate with Scots forward (“covenant, compact”), Dutch voorwaarde (“condition, terms, proviso, stipulation”). More at fore-, ward.

Forms

forwards foreward forrard forrad forred

Verb

  1. To advance, promote.
    • He did all he could to forward the interests of the school.
    • Mary had a suspicion that this plan had been arranged beforehand, for she knew how the lewd old woman loved to forward love affairs […]. - 1941, W Somerset Maugham, Up at the Villa, Vintage, published 2004, page 26:
  2. To send (a letter, email etc.) on to a third party.
    • I'll be glad to forward your mail to you while you're gone.
    • One of the most important aspects of the social service operation was the maintaining of a telephone "hot line," supposedly available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week […] This unbelievable achievement was...
  3. To assemble (a book) by sewing sections, attaching cover boards, and so on.
  4. To arrive, come.

Forms

forwards forwarding forwarded foreward forrard forrad forred

Synonyms

pass on

Derived

unforwarded