Skip to the meanings
Slova
Start learning
Menu

Put forward meaning

Put forward means to suggest an idea or a plan so people can discuss it. It can also mean to suggest someone, or yourself, for a job or a prize.

Check yourself: 3 questionsAll 11 phrasal verbs with put

put something forward

put forward · put · putting

C1Separable+2 more meanings

She put forward a plan to save money.

Put forward meanings and examples

3 meanings, each with its own CEFR level. A level marked ~ is our estimate: Oxford and Cambridge give none for that meaning.

  1. 1suggest an idea or a plan so people can discuss it
  2. 2suggest someone, or yourself, for a job or a prize
  3. 3change a clock so it shows a later time
  1. 1

    Suggest an idea or a plan so people can discuss it

    put something forward

    C1Separable

    • She put forward a plan to save money.
    • Several ideas were put forward at the meeting.
    • Who put this idea forward?
  2. 2

    Suggest someone, or yourself, for a job or a prize

    put somebody forward

    C1Separable

    • The school put him forward for the award.
    • She put herself forward for team leader.
    • Three names have been put forward for captain.
  3. 3

    Change a clock so it shows a later time

    put something forward

    B2Separable

    • Don’t forget to put the clocks forward tonight.
    • We put our watches forward an hour in Athens.
    • Did you put the kitchen clock forward?
Slova

Use put forward in real conversations

  • Learn new words with picture cards
  • Talk with Felix, an AI tutor, about the things you love
  • Short lessons at your level, a few minutes a day
Free to join · 50% off at launchStart learning with Slova

Is put forward separable?

Put forward is separable: put forward an idea, put an idea forward. With a pronoun, it goes in the middle: put it forward.

To make a meeting earlier, bring forward is more common than put forward: They brought the meeting forward to Monday.

Verb tenses for put forward

PresentI put forward · she puts forward
Pastput forward
Present perfecthave put forward
-ing formputting forward

Common mistakes with put forward

What learners often say, and what to say instead.

  • Wrong: It’s a good plan. You should put forward it.

    Right: It’s a good plan. You should put it forward.

    A pronoun goes between put and forward.

  • Wrong: I want to put forward me for the job.

    Right: I want to put myself forward for the job.

    Use myself, and put it in the middle.

  • Wrong: In spring we put the clocks back.

    Right: In spring we put the clocks forward.

    Clocks go forward in spring and back in autumn.

Synonyms and opposites of put forward

Words close to it, and words that mean the opposite.

Similar

  • suggestthe everyday word
  • proposea formal word, often in meetings
  • nominateformally suggest a person for a job or prize

Opposite

Put forward quiz

Three quick questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why.

  1. 1At the meeting, Sara ___ a new idea for the website.

  2. 2Choose the right sentence.

  3. 3It’s the last Sunday in March in the UK. What do people do?

More phrasal verbs with put

All phrasal verbs with put, by level, with an exercise

11 phrasal verbs start with put. Test yourself on all of them in a few minutes.

Test yourself on putTake the full test

Put forward FAQ

Questions people ask about put forward.

Is put forward formal?

It is a little formal and common at work, in meetings and in the news. In chat, people often say suggest or come up with.

What does put your best foot forward mean?

It means try hard to make a good impression: Put your best foot forward at the interview.

What is the past tense of put forward?

Put forward. Put is the same in the present, the past and the past participle: She has put forward two ideas.

Use put forward in real conversations

In Slova you learn new words with picture cards, then use them when you talk about the things you love. A few minutes a day, at your level.

Start learning English
All free tools