onto
[ on-too, awn-; unstressed on-tuh, awn- ]
/ ˈɒn tu, ˈɔn-; unstressed ˈɒn tə, ˈɔn- /
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preposition
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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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-
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use onto in a sentence
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
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Other Idioms and Phrases with onto
on to
see be on to.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.