FORWARD

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does forward mean? 

• FORWARD (noun)
  The noun FORWARD has 2 senses:

1. the person who plays the position of forward in certain games, such as basketball, soccer, or hockey

2. a position on a basketball, soccer, or hockey team

  Familiarity information: FORWARD used as a noun is rare.

• FORWARD (adjective)
  The adjective FORWARD has 4 senses:

1. at or near or directed toward the front

2. used of temperament or behavior; lacking restraint or modesty

3. of the transmission gear causing forward movement in a motor vehicle

4. moving forward

  Familiarity information: FORWARD used as an adjective is uncommon.

• FORWARD (verb)
  The verb FORWARD has 1 sense:

1. send or ship onward from an intermediate post or station in transit

  Familiarity information: FORWARD used as a verb is very rare.

• FORWARD (adverb)
  The adverb FORWARD has 5 senses:

1. at or to or toward the front

2. forward in time or order or degree

3. toward the future; forward in time

4. in a forward direction

5. near or toward the bow of a ship or cockpit of a plane

  Familiarity information: FORWARD used as an adverb is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• FORWARD (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The person who plays the position of forward in certain games, such as basketball, soccer, or hockey

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Hypernyms ("forward" is a kind of...):

basketball player; basketeer; cager (an athlete who plays basketball)

Instance hyponyms:

Dr. J; Erving; Julius Erving; Julius Winfield Erving (United States basketball forward (born in 1950))

Sense 2

Meaning:

A position on a basketball, soccer, or hockey team

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("forward" is a kind of...):

position ((in team sports) the role assigned to an individual player)

Holonyms ("forward" is a member of...):

basketball team; five (a team that plays basketball)

• FORWARD (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

At or near or directed toward the front

Context example:

forward motion

Similar:

full-face; gardant; guardant (looking forward)

headfirst; headlong (with the head foremost)

Also:

progressive (favoring or promoting progress)

fore (situated at or toward the bow of a vessel)

Antonym:

backward (directed or facing toward the back or rear)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Used of temperament or behavior; lacking restraint or modesty

Context example:

a forward child badly in need of discipline

Similar:

brash; cheeky; nervy (offensively bold)

bumptious; self-assertive (offensively self-assertive)

overfamiliar (taking undue liberties)

fresh; impertinent; impudent; overbold; sassy; saucy; smart; wise (improperly forward or bold)

assuming; assumptive; presumptuous (excessively forward)

Also:

bold (fearless and daring)

Antonym:

backward ((used of temperament or behavior) marked by a retiring nature)

Derivation:

forwardness (offensive boldness and assertiveness)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Of the transmission gear causing forward movement in a motor vehicle

Context example:

in a forward gear

Antonym:

reverse (of the transmission gear causing backward movement in a motor vehicle)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Moving forward

Synonyms:

advancing; forward; forward-moving

Similar:

progressive (favoring or promoting progress)

Derivation:

forwardness (an advanced stage)

• FORWARD (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they forward    ... he / she / it forwards   
Past simple: forwarded   
Past participle: forwarded   
-ing form: forwarding   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Send or ship onward from an intermediate post or station in transit

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

forward; send on

Context example:

forward my mail

Hypernyms (to "forward" is one way to...):

send; ship; transport (transport commercially)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody something
Somebody ----s something to somebody

Sentence examples:

They forward the parcel to their parents
They forward them the parcel

Derivation:

forwarding (the act of sending on to another destination)

• FORWARD (adverb)

Sense 1

Meaning:

At or to or toward the front

Synonyms:

forrad; forrard; forward; forwards; frontward; frontwards

Context example:

she practiced sewing backward as well as frontward on her new sewing machine

Domain usage:

accent; dialect; idiom (the usage or vocabulary that is characteristic of a specific group of people)

Antonym:

backward (at or to or toward the back or rear)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Forward in time or order or degree

Synonyms:

forth; forward; onward

Context example:

from the sixth century onward

Sense 3

Meaning:

Toward the future; forward in time

Synonyms:

ahead; forward

Context example:

I look forward to seeing you

Antonym:

backward (in or to or toward a past time)

Sense 4

Meaning:

In a forward direction

Synonyms:

ahead; forrader; forward; forwards; onward; onwards

Context example:

they went slowly forward in the mud

Sense 5

Meaning:

Near or toward the bow of a ship or cockpit of a plane

Synonyms:

fore; forward

Context example:

the captain went fore (or forward) to check the instruments

 Context examples 

Indeed, live-cell microscopy revealed nuclei in lobopodial cells pulling forward and falling backward like a piston.

(New Mechanism of Cell Movement Revealed, NIH)

Let the party immediately step forward.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

The Border Terrier is small terrier with a coarse, wiry double coat and small ears, which fold forward into a "V" shape.

(Border Terrier, NCI Thesaurus)

The sled swayed and trembled, half-started forward.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)

A small blood vessel between the internal pterygoid and the ramus of the jaw, which runs obliquely forward toward the outer surface of the buccinator.

(Buccal Artery, NCI Thesaurus)

Forwards; towards the head or anterior extremity of the body.

(Cephalad, NCI Thesaurus)

It struck him on the side; and such was his forward momentum and the unexpectedness of it, White Fang was hurled to the ground and rolled clear over.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

When your ruler goes forward, it means your life will start to show impressive progress in areas you’ve been focused on.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

A device consisting of flexible biocompatible membranes, implantable in the cardio-vascular system, designed to prevent retrograde flow of blood but not impede a forward flow.

(Cusp Device Component, NCI Thesaurus)

A question about whether an individual feels or felt that they had nothing to look forward to.

(Did You Feel That You Had Nothing to Look Forward To, NCI Thesaurus)