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Meaning & use

forward

adverb, verb, noun·Everyday

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UK/ˈfɔːwəd/
US/ˈfɔːrwərd/

Meanings

  1. adverb

    Toward the front, or in the direction that is ahead.

    Grammar: Used without an object, often after verbs of movement: move forward, look forward.

    Patterns

    • move forward
    • step forward
    • look forward

    The car moved forward slowly.

    She took a step forward to see better.

    He leaned forward to hear what she was saying.

  2. adverb

    Onward in time or progress; toward a later or more advanced state.

    Grammar: Often used with 'from' or 'to': from that day forward, forward to the next stage.

    Patterns

    • from that day forward
    • forward to something

    From that day forward, they were friends.

    We need to move forward with the project.

    The meeting has been moved forward to 10 a.m.

  3. verbtransitive

    To send a message, letter, or package on to another person or place.

    Grammar: Takes an object: forward an email. Often followed by 'to': forward it to me.

    Patterns

    • forward something to someone
    • forward an email

    Please forward this email to the whole team.

    She forwarded the package to her sister.

    I will forward your message to the manager.

  4. nouncountablesport

    An attacking player in sports such as soccer or hockey who plays near the front.

    Grammar: Countable: a forward, two forwards.

    Patterns

    • play as a forward
    • a forward for a team

    He plays as a forward for the national team.

    The forward scored the winning goal.

    They need a strong forward to improve their attack.

Word forms

third person singularforwards
past tenseforwarded
past participleforwarded
-ing formforwarding
pluralforwards

Common combinations

move forward
The line moved forward slowly.
look forward to
I look forward to seeing you.
forward an email
Can you forward that email to me?
step forward
She stepped forward to volunteer.
from that day forward
From that day forward, he never smoked again.

Synonyms and how they differ

ahead
Ahead means in front or further on; it is often used for position, while forward suggests movement in that direction.
onward
Onward means continuing forward in time or space; it is more formal and often used in writing.
send
Send is the general verb for making something go somewhere; forward specifically means sending something you have received on to someone else.

Opposites

backwardback

Word family

forwarding noun
The act of sending something on, especially mail or email.
forwardness noun
The quality of being too bold or confident, often in a way that is rude.
forwards adverb
A British variant of 'forward' as an adverb, meaning toward the front.

Commonly confused: forward or foreword? forward or forward?

forward vs foreword

A foreword is a short introduction at the beginning of a book. It sounds the same as 'forward' but is a different word.

forward vs forward

As a verb, 'forward' means to send on; as an adverb, it means toward the front. Don't confuse the two uses.

Practice

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