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 towards
  • Preference will be given towards candidates with a background in physical biochemistry.
  • Third, it needs to shift the euro zone's macroeconomic policy from its obsession with budget-cutting towards an agenda for growth.
  • Mike walks towards an aspen grove, head down, taking notes.
  • So naturally they'll gravitate towards your yard instead of a neighbor's.
  • The military's taken plenty of big steps towards fortifying battlefields with robot armies.
  • What irks me, though, is her unprofessional behavior towards my disability.
  • The results of the study could simply mean that people have a tendency to have a bias towards negativity.
  • Why the migrating bats would be drawn towards the turbines is still a mystery.
  • Cut the pumpkin in half, starting at the stem and going towards the base, using a serrated knife.
  • Over the past few years, a jet stream moved more slowly towards the equator than previous ones.
British Dictionary definitions for towards

towards

/təˈwɔːdz; tɔːdz/
preposition
1.
in the direction or vicinity of: towards London
2.
with regard to: her feelings towards me
3.
as a contribution or help to: money towards a new car
4.
just before: towards one o'clock
5.
(Irish) in comparison with: it's no work towards having to do it by hand
Also 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 towards

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 towards

toward

see: go a long way toward