toward

American  

[tawrd, tohrd, tuh-wawrd, twawrd, twohrd, tawrd, tohrd] / tɔrd, toʊrd, təˈwɔrd, twɔrd, twoʊrd, tɔrd, toʊrd /

preposition

1. in the direction of.

   to walk toward the river.

2. with a view to obtaining or having; for.

   They're saving money toward a new house.

3. in the area or vicinity of; near.

   Our cabin is toward the top of the hill.

4. turned to; facing.

   Her back was toward me.

5. shortly before; close to.

   toward midnight.

6. as a help or contribution to.

   to give money toward a person's expenses.

7. with respect to; as regards.

   his attitude toward women.

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adjective

1. about to come soon; imminent.

2. going on; in progress; afoot.

   There is work toward.

3. propitious; favorable.

4. Obsolete.

   1. promising or apt, as a student.

   2. compliant; docile.

toward British  

adjective

1. rare in progress; afoot

2. obsolete about to happen; imminent

3. obsolete promising or favourable

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preposition

1. a variant of towards

toward Idioms  

1. see go a long way toward.

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Other Word Forms

• towardness noun

Etymology

Origin of toward

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English tōweard; equivalent to to + -ward

Example Sentences

Calling affordability a multi-layered crisis, Newsom is expected to signal a tougher stance toward the buying spree of homes by private equity and institutional investors in California.

From Los Angeles Times

Whatever job he took, friends said, Porter had an eye toward a better life for his two daughters, who are 10 and 20.

From Los Angeles Times

The valuation gap and return potential should be even greater with a tilt toward value stocks.

From Barron's

The tariff hike prompted a 0.5% economic contraction between July and September, although economic performance is expected to have recovered toward the end of last year.

From The Wall Street Journal

“We started expanding our business globally toward the end of 2024, with a focus on entering more overseas markets beyond Europe,” Chen said.

From The Wall Street Journal