The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Forward \For"ward\, a.
   1. Near, or at the fore part; in advance of something else;
      as, the forward gun in a ship, or the forward ship in a
      fleet.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. Ready; prompt; strongly inclined; in an ill sense,
      overready; too hasty.
      [1913 Webster]

            Only they would that we should remember the poor;
            the same which I also was forward to do. --Gal. ii.
                                                  10.
      [1913 Webster]

            Nor do we find him forward to be sounded. --Shak.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. Ardent; eager; earnest; in an ill sense, less reserved or
      modest than is proper; bold; confident; as, the boy is too
      forward for his years.
      [1913 Webster]

            I have known men disagreeably forward from their
            shyness.                              --T. Arnold.
      [1913 Webster]

   4. Advanced beyond the usual degree; advanced for the season;
      as, the grass is forward, or forward for the season; we
      have a forward spring.
      [1913 Webster]

            The most forward bud
            Is eaten by the canker ere it blow.   --Shak.
      [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Forward \For"ward\, n. [OE., fr. AS. foreweard; fore before +
   weard a ward. See Ward, n.]
   An agreement; a covenant; a promise. [Obs.]
   [1913 Webster]

         Tell us a tale anon, as forward is.      --Chaucer.
   Forward

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Forward \For"ward\, Forwards \For"wards\, adv. [AS. forweard,
   foreweard; for, fore + -weardes; akin to G. vorw[aum]rts. The
   s is properly a genitive ending. See For, Fore, and
   -ward, -wards.]
   Toward a part or place before or in front; onward; in
   advance; progressively; -- opposed to backward.
   [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Forward \For"ward\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Forwarded; p. pr. &
   vb. n. Forwarding.]
   1. To help onward; to advance; to promote; to accelerate; to
      quicken; to hasten; as, to forward the growth of a plant;
      to forward one in improvement.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. To send forward; to send toward the place of destination;
      to transmit; as, to forward a letter.
      [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

forward
    adv 1: at or to or toward the front; "he faced forward"; "step
           forward"; "she practiced sewing backward as well as
           frontward on her new sewing machine"; (`forrad' and
           `forrard' are dialectal variations) [syn: forward,
           forwards, frontward, frontwards, forrad,
           forrard] [ant: back, backward, backwards,
           rearward, rearwards]
    2: forward in time or order or degree; "from that time forth";
       "from the sixth century onward" [syn: forth, forward,
       onward]
    3: toward the future; forward in time; "I like to look ahead in
       imagination to what the future may bring"; "I look forward to
       seeing you" [syn: ahead, forward] [ant: back,
       backward]
    4: in a forward direction; "go ahead"; "the train moved ahead
       slowly"; "the boat lurched ahead"; "moved onward into the
       forest"; "they went slowly forward in the mud" [syn: ahead,
       onward, onwards, forward, forwards, forrader]
    5: near or toward the bow of a ship or cockpit of a plane; "the
       captain went fore (or forward) to check the instruments"
       [syn: fore, forward] [ant: abaft, aft, astern]
    adj 1: at or near or directed toward the front; "the forward
           section of the aircraft"; "a forward plunge down the
           stairs"; "forward motion" [ant: backward]
    2: used of temperament or behavior; lacking restraint or
       modesty; "a forward child badly in need of discipline" [ant:
       backward]
    3: of the transmission gear causing forward movement in a motor
       vehicle; "in a forward gear" [ant: reverse]
    4: moving forward [syn: advancing, forward, forward-
       moving]
    n 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
    v 1: send or ship onward from an intermediate post or station in
         transit; "forward my mail" [syn: forward, send on]

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

403 Moby Thesaurus words for "forward":
   a bit previous, accelerate, acculturate, acquiescent, act for,
   actuate, address, advance, advanced, advancing, advantage,
   adventurous, agog, agreeable, ahead, aid, air-express, airfreight,
   airmail, alacritous, alee, all agog, along, ameliorate, amenable,
   amend, animate, animated, answer, ante, anterior, anxious, ardent,
   arrogant, assist, audacious, avid, back, be instrumental, be right,
   befit, befitting, beforehand, benefit, better, bold, boost, bowl,
   brash, brazen, brazenfaced, breathless, bring forward, bumptious,
   bundle, bunt, bursting to, bustle, busy, busybody, butt, champion,
   cheeky, chief, circulate, civilize, clockwise, cold,
   come across with, compel, compliant, conduce to, consenting,
   consign, content, contribute to, controlled, contumelious, cool,
   cooperative, crowd, daredevil, daring, death-defying, decide,
   deliver, deliver over, desirous, determine, disdainful, dispatch,
   disposed, disrespectful, distribute, do the trick, docile, drive,
   drive on, drop a letter, eager, edify, educate, elevate, embark,
   emend, en route to, encourage, enhance, enlighten, enrich,
   enthusiastic, exhibitionistic, expedite, export, express,
   facilitate, facing, familiar, far ahead, fatten, favor, favorable,
   favorably disposed, favorably inclined, fill the bill, fire-eating,
   firm-minded, first, fit, flagrant, flip, flippant, foolhardy, for,
   fore, forehand, foremost, fork over, forth, forward-looking,
   forwards, foster, freight, fresh, front, frontal, frontward,
   frontwards, full of life, further, game, give an impetus, give in,
   give momentum, give out, give over, go between, go straight,
   go-ahead, goad, half-baked, half-cocked, hand, hand in, hand out,
   hand over, harebrained, haste, hasten, hasten on, hasty, head,
   headmost, headward, headwards, help, hie on, hubristic, hurry,
   hurry along, hurry on, hurry up, hustle, hustle up, ill-considered,
   immodest, impatient, impel, impertinent, importunate, improve,
   improve upon, impudent, impulsive, in advance, in the mind,
   in the mood, incite, inclined, independent, influence, inquisitive,
   insolent, insulting, keen, lard, lead to, leading, lend wings to,
   lift, lively, madbrain, madbrained, madcap, mail,
   make an improvement, make for, meddlesome, meddling, mediate,
   meliorate, mend, minded, minister to, motivate, move, moving,
   nervy, nosy, not come amiss, not firm, notorious, nourish, nurture,
   obtrusive, officious, on, oncoming, ongoing, onward, onwards, out,
   overhasty, overpresumptuous, oversoon, overweening, panting, pass,
   pass out, pass over, patronize, pedal, pert, pliant, pole, post,
   power, precipitate, precocious, predisposed, premature, press,
   presuming, presumptuous, previous, primary, prime, procacious,
   proceeding, profit, progressing, progressive, promote, prompt,
   prone, propel, prying, push, push forward, push on, push through,
   pushful, pushing, pushy, put forward, put in motion, quick,
   quicken, railroad through, raise, raring to, rash, reach, ready,
   ready and willing, receptive, redound to, refine upon, reform,
   remit, render, resign, responsive, roll, route, row, rush,
   rush along, rushed, sassy, saucy, self-appointed, self-asserting,
   self-assertive, self-controlled, self-expressive, self-possessed,
   self-restrained, send, send away, send forth, send off, serve,
   set agoing, set forward, set going, set in motion, shameless, ship,
   shove, shunt, smart, smart-alecky, snoopy, socialize, speed,
   speed along, speed up, spirited, spur, stampede, step up,
   straighten out, strong-minded, strong-willed, subserve,
   suit the occasion, support, surrender, sweep, sweep along, thrust,
   to the fore, too early, too soon, tractable, transfer, transfigure,
   transform, transmit, treadle, troll, trundle, turn over,
   turn the scale, unabashed, unashamed, unblushing, uncrystallized,
   unembarrassed, unjelled, unmatured, unmeditated, unmodest,
   unpremeditated, unprepared, unripe, untimely, up, upgrade, uphold,
   uplift, uppish, uppity, urge, vanward, vital, vivacious, vivid,
   well-developed, well-disposed, well-inclined, whip, whip along,
   whip on, wild, wild-ass, willed, willing, willinghearted, work,
   zealous, zestful



The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (30 December 2018):

forward

    (verb) To send (a copy of) an electronic mail
   message that you have received on to one or more other
   addressees.  Most e-mail systems can be configured to do
   this automatically to all or certain messages, e.g. Unix
   sendmail looks for a ".forward" file in the recipient's
   home directory.

   A mailing list server (or "mail exploder") is designed to
   forward messages automatically to lists of people.

   Unix manual page: aliases(5).

   (2000-03-22)