‘Moving Forward’: Definition, Meaning, and Examples

'Moving forward’ is a common idiom people often use in the English language. But what does it mean? And how do you know when to use it? Below, we’ll take a look at the definition and origin, as well as provide examples of how to use the phrase in a sentence.

In short:

• ‘Moving forward’ means to make progress or bring forward.

Essentially, it means to move on or to make progress on something you’ve been working on.

What Does ‘Moving Forward’ Mean?

The phrase ‘moving forward’ means to make progress or bring forward. It might be expressed as ‘from now on.’

• This American idiom is pretty common in the workplace.

When an employer changes the workplace policies, they might start off by saying something like:

‘Moving forward, we want to try to get at least five people to sign up for the store card every day.’

Implying a change from the previous policy, which might have been two or three card sign-ups per day.

You might also hear the phrase in reverse with a hyphen expressed as forward-moving. This means the exact same thing as ‘moving forward.’

It might also be used to discipline someone.

For example, your boss might say to you:

‘Going forward, I’d like you to be on time. You’ve been late every day this week.’

Where Does ‘Moving Forward’ Come From?

The phrase ‘moving forward’ isn’t quite clear. However, the word ‘forward’ dates back to the Old English word forewearde, which means towards the future.

• Depending on the context of the word, it can have several different meanings.

But as part of the phrase ‘moving forward,’ it indicates moving toward the future, possibly in a different way.

Examples of ‘Moving Forward’ in Sentences

How would you use ‘moving forward’ in a sentence?

Let’s look at some examples:

• Moving forward, I’d like everyone to start wearing the new uniforms we’ve provided. If you need a different size or color, please let Manny know, and he’ll get you the right one.
• Moving forward, we’ve got these new bug zappers we’re going to hang in the warehouse to catch the flies. But be warned, and they’re a little noisy when they start working.
• I’m not sure that we should continue communicating moving forward. You’ve just made me feel uncomfortable, and I don’t know if I can go back to being friends. It’s just too weird.
• My co-worker told me that moving forward, we would be penalized when we were late. They’re going to dock our pay starting next week. This is really getting out of hand at this point.
• Your company needs to find a better marketing strategy moving forward. You’ve been doing this for ten years, and you haven’t seen great results. Clearly, something’s not working.
• Moving forward, we’ll no longer be using the same supplier. We had to cut ties because they weren’t as professional as we’d hoped. We’ll have to find another supplier to take their place.
• Moving forward, I’m not doing anything without asking, ‘What’s in it for me?’ I’m too much of a people-pleaser. I need to start doing things for myself and figuring out what makes me happy.
• We’re going on vacation for two weeks in the summer moving forward. This family deserves to have some fun! We’ve been through a lot in the last few months.

Other Ways to Say ‘Moving Forward’

What other words and phrases convey the same meaning as ‘moving forward’?

Here are a few examples:

• Going forward
• From now on
• From this point on
• From this point forward
• Starting now
• Starting from this point on
• Growing
• Progressing
• Accelerating
• Evolving
• Advancing
• Continuing/continuing ahead
• Getting ahead
• Making your way
• Keeping moving
• Looking ahead
• Looking forward
• In the coming days/weeks/months
• Pushing on
• Pushing forward
• Onwards and upwards
• Continually updating
• In the future
• Move ahead
• Press on
• Go on
• As we advance
• Move along
• Make headway
• Go ahead
• Go forward

Final Thoughts on ‘Moving Forward’

To recap, we learned the following:

• ‘Moving forward’ means to make progress or bring forward.

Essentially, it means to move on or to make progress on something you’ve been working on.

If you ever get stuck on anything, you can always come back here to review what you learned. We’ve got a ton of content on Idioms you might find useful while learning the English language. Go check it out anytime.