toward

[prep. tawrd, tohrd, tuh-wawrd, twawrd, twohrd; adj. tawrd, tohrd] /prep. tɔrd, toʊrd, təˈwɔrd, twɔrd, twoʊrd; adj. tɔrd, toʊrd/
preposition, Also, towards
1.
in the direction of:
to walk toward the river.
2.
with a view to obtaining or having; for:
They're saving money toward a new house.
3.
in the area or vicinity of; near:
Our cabin is toward the top of the hill.
4.
turned to; facing:
Her back was toward me.
5.
shortly before; close to:
toward midnight.
6.
as a help or contribution to:
to give money toward a person's expenses.
7.
with respect to; as regards:
his attitude toward women.
adjective
8.
about to come soon; imminent.
9.
going on; in progress; afoot:
There is work toward.
10.
propitious; favorable.
11.
Obsolete.
  1. promising or apt, as a student.
  2. compliant; docile.
Origin
before 900; Middle English; Old English tōweard. See to, -ward
Related forms
towardness, noun
Examples from the web for toward
  • Researchers have taken only the first steps toward finding definitive answers to both of those questions.
  • toward a more rigorous and constructive dialogue on intelligent infrastructure.
  • Engineers make progress toward new green fuels and energy storage devices.
  • Common name refers to heavy trunk of mature trees, which is broad at base, tapering toward top.
  • The trend toward privatization could subject public universities, whose credit ratings have historically been higher.
  • Researchers have known for several years that this warm period led to dramatic migrations of animals toward the poles.
  • The universe is racing toward something beyond it, a new study suggests.
  • Fledgling step toward quantum telecommunications relays.
  • And it isn't as simple as moving north or south toward the poles.
  • We need to move away from esoteric inquiries and toward specific behaviors necessary to be a successful dean.
British Dictionary definitions for toward

toward

adjective (ˈtəʊəd)
1.
(rare) in progress; afoot
2.
(obsolete) about to happen; imminent
3.
(obsolete) promising or favourable
preposition (təˈwɔːd; tɔːd)
4.
a variant of towards
Derived Forms
towardness, noun
Word Origin
Old English tōweard; see to, -ward
Word Origin and History for toward

Old English toweard "in the direction of," prepositional use of toweard (adj.) "coming, approaching," from to (see to) + -weard, from Proto-Germanic *-warth, from PIE *wert "turn" (see -ward). Towards with adverbial genitive ending, was in Old English as toweards.

Idioms and Phrases with toward

toward

see: go a long way toward