onto

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

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

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR onto ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

Nearby words

ont., ontarian, ontario, ontario, lake, ontic, onto, onto function, onto-, ontogenesis, ontogenetic, ontogeny

Origin of onto

First recorded in 1575–85; on + to

Can be confusedon onto on to

Definition 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. 2019

Examples from the Web for onto

I was sick in street gutters, onto my desk, at dinners with friends.
I Tried to Warn You About Sleazy Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein in 2003|Vicky Ward|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Army B-squad players who fail to make it onto the varsity team after a year or two usually quit football.
A West Point MVP Who Never Played a Down|Nicolaus Mills|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Still others attempted to turn the focus away from Jackie onto the magazine that credulously told her story.
What the U-VA Rape Case Tells Us About a Victim Culture Gone Mad|Lizzie Crocker|December 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But I say onto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
Keep Christmas Commercialized!|P. J. O’Rourke|December 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST

To carry his voice forward, onto the streets of New York and D.C. and Chicago and elsewhere.
The Day I Used Eric Garner’s Voice|Joshua DuBois|December 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
"Bit of luck I call this, sir," he added, as with the assistance of Simon Quarle he got it onto his shoulders.
The Cruise of the Make-Believes|Tom Gallon
They squeezed themselves, with a sigh of relief, onto a shaky flight of six narrow stairs before the breezes of an open window.
Just Patty|Jean Webster
Finally they pulled to a halt and both boys reconnoitered ahead, to find a good way out of the wash and onto the road.
The Scarlet Lake Mystery|Harold Leland Goodwin
Some of you help me lift him onto the grass, some one go for a doctor.
Bound to Succeed|Allen Chapman
These were then held back with clubs and the infants were thrown either into the water or onto the ground.
Colonial Expeditions to the Interior of California Central Valley, 1800-1820|Sherburne Friend Cook

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

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

Word Origin and History for onto (1 of 2)

onto

prep.

1580s, as on to, from on + to. Appeared much later than parallel into. As a closed compound (on analogy of into), first recorded 1715.

Word Origin and History for onto (1 of 2)

onto-

word-forming element meaning "a being, individual; being, existence," from Greek onto-, from stem of on (genitive ontos) "being," neuter present participle of einai "to be" (see essence).

Medicine definitions for onto

onto-

pref.

Organism; being:ontogeny.

onto

preposition

adjective

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Nearby words

Origin of onto

Definition for onto (2 of 2)

onto-

Origin of onto-

Examples from the Web for onto

British Dictionary definitions for onto (1 of 2)

onto

on to

preposition

usage

British Dictionary definitions for onto (2 of 2)

onto-

combining form

Word Origin for onto-

Word Origin and History for onto (1 of 2)

onto

Word Origin and History for onto (1 of 2)

onto-

Medicine definitions for onto

onto-

pref.