different between forward vs prefer

English

Alternative forms

• foreward (obsolete)
• forrard, forrad, forred (dialect or nautical)

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?f??.w?d/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?f??.w?d/, (nonstandard) /?fo?.w?d/, (dated) /?f???d/
• (General Australian, Estuary English, General New Zealand) IPA^(key): /?fo?w?d/
• (General New Zealand, unstressed) IPA^(key): /fo?d/
• Homophone: foreword
• Hyphenation: for?ward

Etymology 1

From Middle English foreward, from Old English foreweard (“forward, inclined to the front, fore, early, former”), from Proto-Germanic *fura- (“fore-”), *warþaz (“turned”), equivalent to fore +? -ward. Cognate with Dutch voorwaarts (“forward”), German vorwärts (“forward”).

Adjective

forward (comparative more forward, superlative most forward)

1. Situated toward or at the front of something.

   the forward gun in a ship, the forward ship in a fleet

   1. (of troops, guns etc.) Situated toward or near the enemy lines.

      The forward battalion took a hammering.

2. Acting in or pertaining to the direction in which someone or something is facing.

   My forward vision is fine, but my peripheral vision is poor.

3. Acting in or pertaining to the direction of travel or movement.

   forward motion, forward thrust, forward momentum

4. (figuratively) Moving in the desired direction of progress.

   This is an important forward step for the country.

5. Having the usual order or sequence.

   The front of the fire engine has backward writing, that can be read in a mirror, as well as forward writing.

6. (finance, commerce) Expected or scheduled to take place in the future.

7. Advanced beyond the usual degree; advanced for the season; precocious.
8. Without customary restraint or modesty; bold, cheeky, pert, presumptuous or pushy.
   • 1999:, Neil Gaiman, Stardust, pg. 44 (2001 Perennial paperback edition)

     "Would you think it forward of me to kiss you?" asked Tristran.

9. (obsolete) Ready; prompt; ardently inclined; in a bad sense, eager or hasty. [to 19th century]

   • Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do.

Usage notes

• The superlative forwardmost can be used for the "toward or at the front" sense. There does not appear to be a forwardmore. The comparative forwarder and superlative forwardest exist for certain senses, but are relatively uncommon.

Synonyms

• (at the front): anterior, front
• (expected in the future): forecast, predicted
• (without customary restraint): bold, fresh, impertinent, brazen

Antonyms

• (at the front): back, posterior, rear
• (expected in the future): past
• (without customary restraint): restrained

Translations

Adverb

forward (comparative further forward, superlative furthest forward)

1. At, near or towards the front of something.

   • A great bargain also had been the excellent Axminster carpet which covered the floor; as, again, the arm-chair in which Bunting now sat forward, staring into the dull, small fire. In fact, that arm-chair had been an extravagance of Mrs. Bunting. She had wanted her husband to be comfortable after the day's work was done, and she had paid thirty-seven shillings for the chair.

   1. (nautical) At, near, or towards the bow of a vessel (with the frame of reference within the vessel).
2. In the direction in which someone or something is facing.

   I leant forward to get a better look.

   The grandfather clock toppled forward and crashed to the ground.

3. In the desired or usual direction of movement or progress, physically or figuratively; onwards.

4. So that front and back are in the usual orientation.

   Don't wear your baseball cap backward; turn it forward.

5. In the usual order or sequence.

6. Into the future.
7. To an earlier point in time. See also bring forward.

Synonyms

• (towards the front): forwards
• (in the usual direction of progress): ahead, forth, on, onward, onwards
• (into the future): forth, forwards, hereon, on, onward, onwards

Antonyms

• (towards the front): back, backward, backwards, rearwards
• (in the usual direction of progress): back, backward, backwards, rearwards, in reverse
• (into the future): backward, backwards, into the past
• (earlier in time): back

Hyponyms

• straightforward

Derived terms

• cab forward
• forwards (adverb)
• look forward
• look forward to

Translations

Verb

forward (third-person singular simple present forwards, present participle forwarding, simple past and past participle forwarded)

1. (transitive) To advance, promote.

   He did all he could to forward the interests of the school.

   • 1941, W Somerset Maugham, Up at the Villa, Vintage 2004, p. 26:

     Mary had a suspicion that this plan had been arranged beforehand, for she knew how the lewd old woman loved to forward love affairs […].

2. (transitive) To send (a letter, email etc.) on to a third party.

   I'll be glad to forward your mail to you while you're gone.

3. (transitive, bookbinding) To assemble (a book) by sewing sections, attaching cover boards, and so on.

Synonyms

• (send (something received) on to a third party): pass on

Derived terms

• fast forward
• forwarding address
• freight forwarder
• forward contract

Descendants

• Dutch: forwarden

Translations

Noun

forward (plural forwards)

1. (rugby) One of the eight players (comprising two props, one hooker, two locks, two flankers and one number eight, collectively known as the pack) whose primary task is to gain and maintain possession of the ball (compare back).
2. (soccer) A player on a team in football (soccer) in the row nearest to the opposing team's goal, who are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals.

   Synonyms: attacker, centre forward, striker

3. (ice hockey) An umbrella term for a centre or winger in ice hockey.
4. (basketball) The small forward or power forward position; two frontcourt positions that are taller than guards but shorter than centers.
5. (nautical) The front part of a vessel.
6. (Internet) An e-mail message that is forwarded to another recipient or recipients; an electronic chain letter.
   • 2004, Tamara Stevens, What Is Snail Mail?: The Lost Art of Letterwriting (page 27)

     When you receive your new pen-pal's email address, do not automatically put it in your address book and use the email Addy to send 'forwards' to. Not every pen pal likes 'forwards', especially jokes and meaningless emails.
7. (finance) A direct agreement between two parties to buy or sell an asset at a specific point in the future; distinguished from a futures contract in that the latter is standardized and traded on an exchange.

   Synonym: forward contract

8. Misconstruction of foreword (“preface or introduction”).

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English foreward, from Old English foreweard (“condition, bargain, agreement, contract, treaty, assurance”), equivalent to fore- +? ward (“ward, keeping”). Cognate with Scots forward (“covenant, compact”), Dutch voorwaarde (“condition, terms, proviso, stipulation”). More at fore-, ward.

Noun

forward (plural forwards)

1. (dialectal or obsolete) Agreement; covenant.

References

• forward at OneLook Dictionary Search
• forward in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Anagrams

• Warford, froward

Czech

Alternative forms

• forvard

Etymology

Borrowed from English forward.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?forvart/
• Hyphenation: for?ward

Noun

forward m anim

1. (soccer, ice hockey) forward

Declension

Derived terms

• forwardka

Noun

forward m inan

1. (soccer, ice hockey) forward line
2. (business) forward contract

Declension

Synonyms

• (sport): útok, ofenziva
• (contract): forwardový kontrakt

Antonyms

• (sport): obrana

Derived terms

• forwardový

Further reading

• forward in P?íru?ní slovník jazyka ?eského, 1935–1957

Middle English

Etymology 1

Adjective

forward

1. Alternative form of foreward

Adverb

forward

1. Alternative form of foreward

Etymology 2

Noun

forward (plural forwards)

1. Alternative form of foreward

Etymology 3

Noun

forward (uncountable)

1. Alternative form of forwird

English

Alternative forms

• præfer [16th-17th c.]
• preferre [14th-17th c.]

Etymology

From Middle English preferren, from Anglo-Norman preferer and Old French preferer, from Latin praefer?, praeferre. Displaced native Middle English foresettan and foreberan.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /p???f?/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /p???f??/
• Rhymes: -??(?)

Verb

prefer (third-person singular simple present prefers, present participle preferring, simple past and past participle preferred)

1. (transitive) To be in the habit of choosing something rather than something else; to favor; to like better. [from 14^thc.]

   I'd prefer it if you didn't do it.

   • "My tastes," he said, still smiling, "incline me to the garishly sunlit side of this planet." And, to tease her and arouse her to combat: "I prefer a farandole to a nocturne; I'd rather have a painting than an etching; Mr. Whistler bores me with his monochromatic mud; I don't like dull colours, dull sounds, dull intellects; […]."
2. (transitive, now dated) To advance, promote (someone or something). [from 14^thc.]
   • 1743, Robert Drury, The Pleasant, and Surprizing Adventures of Mr. Robert Drury, during his Fifteen Years Captivity on the Island of Madagascar, London, p. 67,^[1]

     […] she was one of my Master’s Captives. For this Reason, I presume, it was, that she took so much Compassion upon me; considering herself a Slave in a strange Country, and only preferr’d to my Master’s Bed by Courtesy.

3. (transitive) To present or submit (something) to an authority (now usually in "to prefer charges"). [from 16^thc.]
   • 1803, Robert Charles Dallas, The History of the Maroons, London: Longman and Rees, Volume 1, Letter 5, p. 137,^[2]

     At length the Maroons, who were delighted to have him with them, became discontented with his absence, and for several years, during the sessions of the House of Assembly, preferred repeated complaints against him.

4. (obsolete, transitive) To put forward for acceptance; to introduce, recommend (to). [16^th-19^thc.]
   • 1630, John Smith, The True Travels, Adventures, and Observations of Captaine Iohn Smith, London: Thomas Slater, Chapter 1, p. 2,^[3]

     one Master David Hume, who making some use of his purse, gave him Letters to his friends in Scotland to preferre him to King Iames.

   • 1817, Walter Scott, Rob Roy, Volume One, Chapter 17,^[4]

     Such were the arguments which my will boldly preferred to my conscience, as coin which ought to be current, and which conscience, like a grumbling shopkeeper, was contented to accept […].

Usage notes

• The verb can be used in three different forms:
  1. prefer + noun + to (or over) + noun. Example: I prefer coffee to tea.
  2. prefer + gerund + to (or over) + gerund. Example: I prefer skiing to swimming.
  3. prefer + full infinitive + rather than + bare infinitive. Example: I prefer to die honorably rather than live in shame. If the second verb is the same as the first, it can be elided: I prefer to eat fish rather than meat.

Inflection

Synonyms

• forechoose

Antonyms

• disprefer

Related terms

• nonpreferred
• preferable / preferrable
• preference
• preferendum
• preferential
• preferer / preferrer
• preferment
• preferred creditor, preferred provider, preferred stock, preferred stockholder
• unpreferred
• prelate

Translations

Romanian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [pre?fer]

Verb

prefer

1. first-person singular present indicative/subjunctive of prefera