behind vs forward

behind

adv
  • At or in the rear or back part of something. 

  • Behind the scenes in a theatre; backstage. 

  • So as to come after someone or something in position, distance, advancement, ranking, time, etc. 

  • So as to be still in place after someone or something has departed or ceased to exist. 

  • In a rearward direction. 

  • Backward in time or order of succession; past. 

adj
  • Slow. 

  • Not advanced to the required or expected degree; overdue or in arrears. 

prep
  • As a result or consequence of. 

  • Responsible for, being the creator or controller of. 

  • After in developmental progress, score, grade, etc.; inferior to. 

  • After in time. 

  • In the past, from the viewpoint of. 

  • Concealed by (something serving as a facade or disguise). 

  • After in physical progress or distance. 

  • In support of. 

  • Underlying, being the reason for or explanation of. 

  • At or to the back or far side of. 

noun
  • In the Eton College field game, any of a group of players consisting of two "shorts" (who try to kick the ball over the bully) and a "long" (who defends the goal). 

  • The rear, back-end. 

  • The buttocks, bottom, butt. 

  • A one-point score. 

  • The catcher. 

forward

adv
  • At, near or towards the front of something. 

  • To an earlier point in time. See also bring forward. 

  • In the direction in which someone or something is facing. 

  • In the usual order or sequence. 

  • Into the future. 

  • At, near, or towards the bow of a vessel (with the frame of reference within the vessel). 

  • In the desired or usual direction of movement or progress, physically or figuratively; onwards. 

  • So that front and back are in the usual orientation. 

adj
  • Acting in or pertaining to the direction of travel or movement. 

  • Situated toward or at the front of something. 

  • Situated toward or near the enemy lines. 

  • Without customary restraint or modesty; bold, cheeky, pert, presumptuous or pushy. 

  • Expected or scheduled to take place in the future. 

  • Advanced beyond the usual degree; advanced for the season; precocious. 

  • Moving in the desired direction of progress. 

  • Acting in or pertaining to the direction in which someone or something is facing. 

  • Having the usual order or sequence. 

noun
  • One of the eight players (comprising two props, one hooker, two locks, two flankers and one number eight, collectively known as the pack) whose primary task is to gain and maintain possession of the ball (compare back). 

  • A player on a team in football (soccer) in the row nearest to the opposing team's goal, who are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals. 

  • The small forward or power forward position; two frontcourt positions that are taller than guards but shorter than centers. 

  • An umbrella term for a centre or winger in ice hockey. 

  • The front part of a vessel. 

  • An e-mail message that is forwarded to another recipient or recipients; an electronic chain letter. 

  • A direct agreement between two parties to buy or sell an asset at a specific point in the future; distinguished from a futures contract in that the latter is standardized and traded on an exchange. 

verb
  • To send (a letter, email etc.) on to a third party. 

  • To assemble (a book) by sewing sections, attaching cover boards, and so on. 

  • To advance, promote. 

How often have the words behind and forward occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )