forth

1 of 2

adverb

ˈfȯrth 

1

: onward in time, place, or order : forward

from that day forth

2

: out into notice or view

put forth leaves

lava bursting forth from the volcano

3

obsolete : away, abroad

forth

2 of 2

preposition

archaic

: forth from : out of

Synonyms

Adverb

• ahead
• forward
• on
• onward
• onwards

Examples of forth in a Sentence

Adverb

a flow of lava bursting forth from the earth

The snow is gone and the flowers are ready to spring forth.

He went forth to spread the news.

She stretched forth her hands in prayer.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb

Musk also repeatedly clashes with Jeff Bezos, the owner of Amazon and aerospace company Blue Origin, a direct competitor of SpaceX. The two went back and forth last month after Musk claimed Bezos told others to sell their Tesla and SpaceX stock under the presumption Trump would lose the election. —Miranda Nazzaro, The Hill, 5 Dec. 2024

The model has captioned her Instagram photos in multiple languages, bouncing back and forth between them and occasionally straying into other languages that aren’t listed on her résumé. —Emily Blackwood, People.com, 5 Dec. 2024

Preposition

The coalition had first put forth Lucie Castets in late July, just an hour before Macron was scheduled to give a prime-time television interview. —Lauren Collins, The New Yorker, 7 Dec. 2024

However, the Nostalgic Partners case put forth a variety of strong arguments for the exemption to be curtailed or abolished entirely, if and when the Supreme Court ever wishes to take up the issue. —Chris Deubert, Forbes, 4 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adverb and Preposition

Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old English for

First Known Use

Adverb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Preposition

circa 1575, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing forth

• and so forth
• back and forth
• bring forth
• call forth
• forth of
• from that day forth
• from that day forth/forward
• hold forth
• put forth
• sally forth
• send forth
• set forth

Kids Definition

forth

adverb

ˈfō(ə)rth,

ˈfȯ(ə)rth

1

: forward entry 2, onward

from that time forth

back and forth

2

: out into view

plants putting forth leaves

Geographical Definition

Forth

geographical name

ˈfȯrth 

river 116 miles (187 kilometers) long in south central Scotland flowing east into the Firth of Forth, an estuary 48 miles (77 kilometers) long that is an inlet of the North Sea