towards
English
Etymology
From Middle English towardes, from Old English tōweardes, tōwærdes, equivalent to toward + -s (adverbial suffix).
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /təˈwɔːdz/, [tʰə̥ˈwɔːdz]
- (traditional) IPA(key): /ˈtɔːdz/
- (General American) IPA(key): /tʊˈwɔɹdz/, /ˈtɔɹdz/, /ˈtoʊɚdz/, [tʰə̥ˈwɔɹ̠d̠z], [tʰw̥ɔɹ̠d̠z]
- (New Zealand) IPA(key): /tɘˈwoːdz/, [tʰɘ̥ˈwoːdz], [tʰw̥oːdz]
Audio (US) (file) - Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)dz, -oːdz
- Hyphenation: to‧wards
Preposition
towards
- Alternative form of toward
- Synonym: toward
- Antonyms: fromward, fromwards
- 1835, Sir John Ross, Sir James Clark Ross, Narrative of a Second Voyage in Search of a North-west Passage …, Volume 1, pp.284-5
- Towards the following morning, the thermometer fell to 5°; and at daylight, there was not an atom of water to be seen in any direction.
- 1960 December, Voyageur, “The Mountain Railways of the Bernese Oberland”, in Trains Illustrated, page 752:
- To the left towers the Jungfrau, with the train heading directly towards it.
- 2011 October 1, Phil McNulty, “Everton 0-2 Liverpool”, in BBC Sport:
- But with Goodison Park openly directing its full hostility towards Atkinson, Liverpool went ahead when Carroll turned in his first Premier League goal of the season after 70 minutes.
Usage notes
- Although some have tried to discern a semantic distinction between the words toward and towards, the only difference in practice is dialectal. Toward is more common in American English and towards is more common in British English, though each form may be found in both varieties.
Translations
toward — see toward
See also
- See w:Adverbial genitive
Adverb
towards (not comparable)
- In the direction of something (indicated by context).
- 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto IV”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, OCLC 960102938:
- Thus as he spake, lo far away they spyde / A varlet running towards hastily […]
-
Adjective
towards (not comparable)
- Near; at hand; in state of preparation; toward.
- c. 1591–1595 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act I, scene v]:
- We have a trifling foolish banquet towards.
-
Middle English
Preposition
towards
- Alternative form of towardes