forth

¹ American  

[fawrth, fohrth] / fɔrθ, foʊrθ /

adverb

1. onward or outward in place or space; forward.

   to come forth; go forth.

2. onward in time, in order, or in a series.

   from that day forth.

3. out, as from concealment or inaction; into view or consideration.

   The author's true point comes forth midway through the book.

4. away, as from a place or country.

   to journey forth.

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preposition

1. Archaic. out of; forth from.

Forth ² American  

[fawrth, fohrth] / fɔrθ, foʊrθ /

noun

1. Firth of, an arm of the North Sea, in SE Scotland: estuary of Forth River. 48 miles (77 km) long.

2. a river in S central Scotland, flowing E into the Firth of Forth. 116 miles (187 km) long.

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forth ¹ British  

/ fɔːθ /

adverb

1. forward in place, time, order, or degree

2. out, as from concealment, seclusion, or inaction

3. away, as from a place or country

4. and so on; et cetera

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preposition

1. archaic out of; away from

Forth ² British  

/ fɔːθ /

noun

1. an inlet of the North Sea in SE Scotland: spanned by a cantilever railway bridge 1600 m (almost exactly 1 mile) long (1889), and by a road bridge (1964)

2. a river in S Scotland, flowing generally east to the Firth of Forth. Length: about 104 km (65 miles)

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forth Idioms  

1. see and so forth; back and forth; bring forth; hold forth; put forth; set forth.

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Etymology

Origin of forth

before 900; Middle English, Old English; cognate with German fort; akin to further

Explanation

Forth means "from now on." If you declare that from today forth, you'll pursue your dream of becoming a rodeo clown, it means you'll work every day to make it happen. The adverb forth describes pushing forward, either literally or in time. When something goes forth, it moves into view or forward. In spring, flowers shoot forth from the ground. You have probably heard the expression and so forth, which like and so on means whatever else. Don't confuse forth with fourth, which sounds the same but means "number four in a series."

Example Sentences

Although the law sets forth detailed procedures that must be followed before withdrawing Medicaid or Medicare funds, Kasubhai noted, Kennedy’s declaration aimed to circumvent all that: “Immediate compliance was demanded.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2026

Trade the metronome as it swings back and forth, but don’t let the hypnotic sound lull you into complacency.

From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026

In the end, Iranians put forth a fairly impressive offer, which among other things would have restricted their enrichment of uranium to levels even lower than those allowed in the Obama deal.

From Slate • Apr. 21, 2026

“I feel like I’m getting a divorce with the amount of fighting back and forth, the ‘he said, she said,’ and emotions instead of logic,” Hurlock said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

Kiki pushed a stroller back and forth, back and forth, like if she stopped moving, something terrible would happen.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith