forward
/ˈfɔːwəd
/adverb (also forwards)
1In the direction that one is facing or travelling; towards the front: he started up the engine and the car moved forward Rory leaned forward over the table...
- The ball has to stop at the top of the backswing and change directions to travel forward.
- Just then, the black car in front of us moved forward and disappeared, then it was our turn.
- I turned to face him, finally meeting his gaze before leaning forward and kissing him softly.
Synonyms
ahead, forwards, onwards, onward, on, further
1.1In or towards the bow or nose of a ship or aircraft.Then Hayes moved aft, across a passageway to the starboard side of the ship, and forward....
- The submersible is housed in a trunk below the deck of the ship just forward of the bridge.
- The other common merchant ship layout is all holds forward with a superstructure aft.
1.2In the normal order or sequence: the number was the same backwards as forwards...
- By the time I was five I knew the song Waltzing Matilda forwards and backwards.
- I hope so, for I have such high hopes for this new year, one that reads the same backwards as forwards - a calendar palindrome.
- He can memorise 60 digit numbers in a jiffy and recite them forwards and backwards.
2Onward so as to make progress: the signing of the treaty is a big step forward...
- Our victory is a big step forwards for everyone.
- Without spending this money we cannot go forward and progress as a club but we clearly can't afford it.
- The first step forwards to reducing our insatiable need for more and more power is to cut the waste.
Synonyms
moving forwards, moving ahead, onward, advancing, progressing, progressive
3Towards the future: looking forward, earnings are expected to hit £7.2 billion...
- But the main thrust of his speech was looking forward to the future of British farming.
- But we think at this time and looking forward to our future that we would like to stay with one team and focus our resources on one team.
- Thus there are very few people who do not look back to the past with a sense of longing or forward to the future with a sense of unease.
Synonyms
onward, onwards, on, forth, forwards;
for ever, into eternity;
until now
3.1To an earlier time: the special issue has been moved forward to November...
- Their logic dictates that the chances of bothersome winter postponements are reduced by propelling matches forwards.
- Following poor weather forecasts for Friday, the team shifted its programme forward in order to be ready to run today.
- Most other member states claim to be making good progress in bringing forward the transposition.
adjective
1Directed or facing towards the front or the direction that one is facing or travelling: forward flight the pilot’s forward view...
- On the role Baxter has played in dragging British skiing in a forward direction, he is characteristically modest.
- Males sport splashes of black and brown on a forward segment of their front legs.
- The forward direction of the ball is accomplished by the horizontal angle of the cue stick.
1.1Positioned near the enemy lines: troops moved to the forward areas...
- The next three weeks were testing ones for the 7th Battalion, holding a forward position near the Bois de Bavent.
- There was one forward depot for each army formation with one forward battalion to support each front-line corps.
- In the first incident, two rockets were fired at the forward operating base near Khost.
Synonyms
front, advance, foremost, head, leading, frontal
1.2Situated in or towards the bow or nose of a ship or aircraft: the forward cargo doors [predicative]: the crew’s cabin is forward...
- A door slid open automatically when they approached the forward section of the ship.
- The power of the wave destroys the reinforcement and pounds the ship's forward shields.
- It was in the forward quarter of the ship, with the rest of the rooms nearby.
1.3 Electronics (Of a voltage applied to a semiconductor junction) in the direction which allows significant current to flow.The voltage in the forward wave is always greater than the voltage in the reflected wave....
- However, charge recombination reactions can occur when the forward electron transport cannot proceed.
2 [attributive] Relating to the future: a twelve-month forward forecast...
- He said these plants have forward orders representing between two and four months production.
- In other words, having a forward view changes what you do in the here and now.
- The theory here is that skirt length can be a forward predictor of stock market direction.
Synonyms
future, forward-looking, for the future, prospective
3Progressing towards a successful conclusion: the decision is a forward step...
- As a result, technologists and businesses cannot assume unhindered forward progress.
- Tufnell is not exactly a forward step in selection and he's had many chances before.
- You know, there was a time when it seemed we'd never take a forward step that didn't involve technology.
3.1Further advanced than expected or required: an alarmingly forward yet painfully vulnerable child...
- It was when she was a little over a year old that Charlotte first appeared to have problems. Before then she was a very forward child talking and singing, but suddenly started to slow down.
- He doesn't use sign language nearly as much now because he talks such a lot. He's very forward for his age and I think that teaching him a form of communication so young has given him extra confidence.
Synonyms
advanced, well advanced, early, premature;
precocious
4(Of a person) bold or overfamiliar in manner: I am not usually a forward sort of person...
- Olivia worries that she was too forward with him, and that he is now judging her because of it.
- Being alone became an annoying state, and those forward women became more attractive to you by the week.
- When he goes on a date with Jane Gallagher, Holden becomes extremely agitated, because Stradlater is extremely forwardwith his dates.
Synonyms
bold, brazen, brazen-faced, barefaced, brash, shameless, immodest, audacious, daring, presumptuous, presuming, assuming, familiar, overfamiliar;
irreverent, over-assertive, overconfident, overweening, aggressive, thrusting, pert, impudent, impertinent, cheeky, insolent, unabashed
informal brass-necked, cocky, fresh
noun
1An attacking player in football, hockey, or other sports.Hockey should follow suit with special coaches for goalkeepers, defenders, halfbacks and forwards....
- Their top forwards are still in their prime, their top defensemen are still in their prime and their goalie is among the best in the league.
- Rush was one of the most lethal forwards of the past 25 years.
2 (forwards) Finance Agreements to trade specified assets, typically currency, at a specified price at a certain future date. Compare with future (sense 2 of the noun).The first type, called futures or forwards, oblige a buyer and seller to complete a transaction at a predetermined time in the future at a price agreed upon today....
- Why are forwards crashing and trading at a discount?
- There are four basic types of derivatives transactions: forwards, futures, swaps, and options.
verb [with object]
1Send (a letter or email) on to a further destination: my emails were forwarded to a friend I recently received an email forwarded from a friend (as adjective forwarding) a forwarding address...
- I received a six-month-old letter that had been forwarded from an old address.
- The letter was forwarded to her current address and she replied to it on September 26, stating that she did indeed want the committee to proceed.
- Thanks to all of you who are forwarding the letters you've sent to the school.
Synonyms
send on, post on, redirect, readdress, pass on
1.1Dispatch or send (a document or goods): apply by forwarding a CV...
- The warrant will then be sent to the CPS, which will forward the documents to the Israeli authorities.
- We have been trying to forward documents both to the post office box and to the residential addresses given.
- Stan had not responded in writing to George's new accountant, nor had he forwarded the requested documents.
Synonyms
send, dispatch, transmit, carry, convey, deliver, remit, post, mail, ship, freight
2Help to advance (something); promote: the scientists are forwarding the development of biotechnology...
- I see a contradiction, though, as these same people are often also supporters of the corporatocracy, which is largely responsible for forwarding postmodernism.
- Dangerfield was into comedy for the long haul, looking not only to forward his own career, but those of other talented people as well.
- He uses religious, economic, and political discourses in new and clever ways in order to forward his own political aims.
Synonyms
advance, further, hasten, hurry along, expedite, accelerate, speed up, step up, aid, assist, help, foster, encourage, contribute to, promote, favour, support, back, give backing to, facilitate
Phrases
forward of
take something forward
Derivatives
forwardly
/ adverb ...- Hoping to deter further Japanese expansion, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt ordered the Pacific Fleet to remain forwardly deployed at Pearl Harbor in Oahu, Hawaii, after its 1940 maneuvers.
- You're a hot guy and you're cool,’ Nicole said forwardly, not aware of the impact her words had on Sean.
- However, unlike a ship or an established Air Force base, Army units forwardly deployed do not have telecommunications land lines or habitual satellite links.
Origin
Old English forweard (in the sense 'towards the future', as in from this day forward), variant of forthweard (see forth, -ward).