What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Forth vs Towards - What's the difference?

forth | towards |

As a proper noun forth

is a river in scotland that flows for about 47 km (29 miles) from the trossachs through stirling to the firth of forth on the north sea or forth can be an imperative, stack-based high-level programming language.

As a preposition towards is

variant of toward.

As an adverb towards is

(obsolete) in the direction of something (indicated by context).

As an adjective towards is

(obsolete) near; at hand; in state of preparation; toward.

forth

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl), from (etyl) . Compare Dutch voort.

Adverb

(-)
  • Forward in time, place or degree.
  • * Shakespeare
    • From this time forth , I never will speak word.
  • * Strype
    • I repeated the Ave Maria; the inquisitor bade me say forth ; I said I was taught no more.
  • *, chapter=13
    • , title= The Mirror and the Lamp , passage=“[…] They talk of you as if you were Croesus—and I expect the beggars sponge on you unconscionably.” And Vickers launched forth into a tirade very different from his platform utterances. He spoke with extreme contempt of the dense stupidity exhibited on all occasions by the working classes.}}
  • Out into view; from a particular place or position.
    • The plants in spring put forth leaves.
    The robbers leapt forth from their place of concealment.
  • (obsolete) Beyond a (certain) boundary; away; abroad; out.
  • * Shakespeare
    • I have no mind of feasting forth to-night.
  • (obsolete) Thoroughly; from beginning to end.
    • (Shakespeare)
    Derived terms
    * forth- * and so forth * back and forth * blossom forth * bring forth * burst forth * call forth * come forth * give forth * go forth * hold forth * pour forth * put forth * send forth * set forth * stand forth * stretch forth

    Preposition

    (English prepositions)
  • (obsolete) Forth from; out of.
  • * John Donne
    • Some forth their cabins peep.

    Etymology 2

    From (fourth) - compare (forty)

    Adjective

    (head)

    • Noun

    (head)

    • Statistics

    *

    Anagrams

    * ----

    towards

    English

    Preposition

    (en-prep) (mainly in British English )
  • Variant of toward.
  • * 1835 , Sir , Sir (James Clark Ross), Narrative of a Second Voyage in Search of a North-west Passage …, Volume 1 , pp.284-5
    • Towards the following morning, the thermometer fell to 5°; and at daylight, there was not an atom of water to be seen in any direction.
  • * {{quote-news, year=2011, date=October 1, author=Phil McNulty, work=BBC Sport
    • , title= Everton 0-2 Liverpool , passage=But with Goodison Park openly directing its full hostility towards Atkinson, Liverpool went ahead when Carroll turned in his first Premier League goal of the season after 70 minutes.}}

    Synonyms

    * toward

    Usage notes

    * Although some have tried to discern a semantic distinction between the words (term) and (towards), the difference is merely dialectal. (term) is the most common form, while (toward) tends to appear only in American English.

    See also

    * See

    Adverb

    (en adverb)
  • (obsolete) In the direction of something (indicated by context).
  • * 1590 , Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene , II.iv:
    • Thus as he spake, lo far away they spyde / A varlet running towards hastily [...].

    Adjective

    (-)
  • (obsolete) Near; at hand; in state of preparation; toward.
  • * Shakespeare
    • We have a trifling foolish banquet / Towards .

    Statistics

    * English prepositions