Basic+ Word of the Day: forth

forth (adverb)

The swing goes back and forth.

Forth means ‘onward,’ ‘upward,’ ‘forward’ or ‘away.’

• As the opposing army charged forth, we retreated.
• From this day forth, I will eat only foods that are good for me.

Don't confuse it with

fourth: the ordinal number for four. Example: “Steve is the fourth child in the family.”

Common uses

and so forth: et cetera. Example: “Buy everything you need to make the cake–flour, sugar, butter and so forth.”

set forth: depart (on a journey). Example: “As we set forth on our European adventure, we knew we would view foreigners differently when we got home.”

In pop culture

Literally, back and forth means moving backward and forward like you do on a swing. But figuratively, it means that your path in life is not a straight line–you move back and forth many times on your journey. The documentary Foo Fighters: Back and Forth tells the story of the band. Watch the trailer.

There are other meanings of forth.