onto

[ on-too, awn-; unstressed on-tuh, awn- ]

/ ˈɒn tu, ˈɔn-; unstressed ˈɒn tə, ˈɔn- /

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preposition

to a place or position on; upon; on: to get onto a horse.

Informal. in or into a state of awareness about: I'm onto your scheme.

adjective

Also surjective .Mathematics. pertaining to a function or map from one set to another set, the range of which is the entire second set.

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Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of onto

First recorded in 1575–85; on + to

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH onto

on, onto , on to

Other definitions for onto (2 of 2)

onto-

a combining form meaning “being,” used in the formation of compound words: ontogeny.

Also especially before a vowel, ont-.

Origin of onto-

<New Latin <Greek ont- (stem of ón, neuter present participle of eînai to be) + -o--o-

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use onto in a sentence

Just the hard-on before you shoot unarmed members of the public.
'Babylon' Review: The Dumb Lives of Trigger-Happy Cops|Melissa Leon|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Three on-the-record stories from a family: a mother and her daughters who came from Phoenix.
I Tried to Warn You About Sleazy Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein in 2003|Vicky Ward|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
You just travel light with carry-on luggage, go to cities that you love, and get to hang out with all your friends.
Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness|Marlow Stern|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
It was a brick wall that we turned into the on-ramp of a highway.
Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness|Marlow Stern|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Could the (thus far) timid trembling give way to a full-on, grand mal seizure?
26 Earthquakes Later, Fracking’s Smoking Gun Is in Texas|James Joiner|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Each day she resolved, "To-morrow I will tell Felipe;" and when to-morrow came, she put it off again.
Ramona|Helen Hunt Jackson
All the operations of her brain related themselves somehow to to-morrow afternoon.
Hilda Lessways|Arnold Bennett
"Buy something for your wife that-is-to-be," he said to his grand-nephew, as he handed him the folded paper.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
Something remote and ancient stirred in her, something that was not of herself To-day, something half primitive, half barbaric.
The Wave|Algernon Blackwood
To-day I'm more dead than alive, as we had a lesson from him yesterday that lasted four hours.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay

British Dictionary definitions for onto (1 of 2)

onto

on to

/ (ˈɒntʊ, unstressed ˈɒntə) /

preposition

to a position that is onstep onto the train as it passes

having become aware of (something illicit or secret)the police are onto us

into contact withget onto the factory

usage for onto

Onto is now generally accepted as a word in its own right. On to is still used, however, where on is considered to be part of the verb: he moved on to a different town as contrasted with he jumped onto the stage

British Dictionary definitions for onto (2 of 2)

onto-

combining form

existence or beingontogeny; ontology

Word Origin for onto-

from Late Greek, from ōn (stem ont-) being, present participle of einai to be

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with onto

on to

see be on to.

onto

Origin of onto

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH onto

Other definitions for onto (2 of 2)

Origin of onto-

Words related to onto

How to use onto in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for onto (1 of 2)

on to

usage for onto

British Dictionary definitions for onto (2 of 2)

Word Origin for onto-

Other Idioms and Phrases with onto