toward
Americanpreposition
in the direction of.
to walk toward the river.
with a view to obtaining or having; for.
They're saving money toward a new house.
in the area or vicinity of; near.
Our cabin is toward the top of the hill.
turned to; facing.
Her back was toward me.
shortly before; close to.
toward midnight.
as a help or contribution to.
to give money toward a person's expenses.
with respect to; as regards.
his attitude toward women.
adjective
about to come soon; imminent.
going on; in progress; afoot.
There is work toward.
propitious; favorable.
Obsolete.
promising or apt, as a student.
compliant; docile.
adjective
rare in progress; afoot
obsolete about to happen; imminent
obsolete promising or favourable
preposition
a variant oftowards
Other Word Forms
- towardness noun
Etymology
Origin of toward
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old Englishtōweard; equivalent toto +-ward
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
One of the big questions for Nvidia is whether it can maintain its market-leading position as demand for chips shifts toward inference —the process of generating answers or results from models—over training.
FromBarron's
“Anti-obesity drugs will have a lasting influence on the food market, “nudging some consumers toward smaller portions and more nutrient-dense protein and fiber-forward foods,” Harmening says.
The discovery that oncRNAs generate cancer-specific signals in blood is moving toward clinical application.
FromScience Daily
When, instead, another Black Democrat from Chicago, Barack Obama, headed toward the Democratic nomination in 2008, Jackson’s frustration spilled into public with a vulgar criticism of Obama caught on microphone.
Her dreams propelled Jackson toward college — as did a need to avenge the childhood taunts that echoed in his head.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
