Does 'bring forward' mean earlier or later?

Bring forward always means earlier. If someone brings forward a meeting from Friday to Wednesday, the meeting is now sooner. To move something later, use 'push back' instead.

What's the difference between 'bring forward' and 'move up'?

They mean the same thing. 'Move up' is more common in American English. 'Bring forward' is used in both US and UK English. Both are correct in workplace settings.

Can I say 'bring forward' in formal emails?

Yes, 'bring forward' works in both casual and formal communication. It's appropriate for Slack messages, meeting invites, and emails to clients or executives.

How do I use 'bring forward' with specific dates?

Use 'by' for the amount of time: 'bring forward by two days'. Use 'to' for the new date: 'bring forward to Monday'. Example: 'We're bringing forward the launch by a week, to March 15th.'

Is 'bring forward' separable?

Yes, you can separate it with the object: 'bring the meeting forward' or 'bring forward the meeting'. Both are correct. With pronouns, keep them together: 'bring it forward' (not 'bring forward it').

What Does "Bring Forward" Mean? | Speak Tech English

Commonness
Versatility
Formality	CasualFormalNeutral
Spoken ↔ Written	SpokenWrittenBoth
Directness ↔ Diplomatic	DirectDiplomaticNeutral
Region

Say it like this

✓Can we bring forward the demo by a day?

✓The client wants to bring forward the launch date.

✓Let's bring forward our sync to Monday instead.

✓We brought forward the code freeze to give QA more time.

Real examples

Standup

"I'd like to bring forward the API review — can we do it today instead of Thursday?"

Slack message

"Hey team, can we bring forward tomorrow's sync to 10am? I have a conflict at 2pm."

GitHub PR

"Bringing forward the merge to main so QA can start testing earlier."

Jira ticket

"Priority changed — bringing forward this ticket to the current sprint."

Retrospective

"We should bring forward code reviews in the process so bugs are caught earlier."

Sprint planning

"Let's bring forward the deadline for the project to allow more time for testing."

Pair programming

"Can we bring forward our pairing session? I'm free now if you are."

Don't say this

✕Let's bring forward the meeting to next week.

✓Let's push back the meeting to next week.— 'Bring forward' means earlier, not later. Use 'push back' for later dates.

✕I will bring forward you the update.

✓I will bring forward the update.— This phrasal verb doesn't take an indirect object between the words.

✕We need to bring it forward for two days.

✓We need to bring it forward by two days.— Use 'by' (not 'for') when specifying how much earlier.

Other forms

base form

bring forward

"Let's bring forward the meeting."

past tense

brought forward

"We brought forward the deadline."

present continuous

bringing forward

"We're bringing forward the release."

past participle

brought forward

"The demo has been brought forward."

Often used with

bring forward a meetingMost common use — reschedule to earlier

bring forward the deadlineMake the deadline sooner

bring forward the launchRelease earlier than planned

bring forward by [time]Specify how much earlier (by two days, by a week)

bring forward to [date]Specify the new earlier date

Similar words

move upVery common in US English, same meaning

advanceMore formal, often used in written communication

reschedule earlierMore explicit but longer

expediteFocuses on speed, often for processes not just dates

Opposites

push backpostponedelaymove backdefer

Practice

Try it

4 quick exercises

Choose the most natural response

1. Your PM says: 'The client wants the demo sooner.' What do you say?

Let's push back the demo.Let's bring forward the demo.Let's bring the demo forward to next month.

Find the error

2. We need to bring forward the release for three days.

bring forward → push backfor → bythe release → a release

Fill in the blank

3. The stakeholder meeting has been _____ forward to Tuesday.

Rewrite this sentence using 'bring forward'

4. Can we have the code review earlier than planned?

More words

push back reschedule timeline deadline buffer time code freeze sprint

Questions

Quick poll

Have you said "bring forward" in a standup this week?

Want more structured practice like this? Our English for Programmers course covers real workplace English in depth.

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