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

Toward the middle of the pool, it’s definitely green.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 23, 2026

Toward the end of his senior year, his mom saw a job opening at work and encouraged him to apply.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026

Toward the end of his presentation, Ritchie lamented the police department’s struggle to reopen cold cases such as McAdams’.

From Slate • Apr. 6, 2026

Toward the end of Netflix’s “Into the Manosphere,” documentary filmmaker Louis Theroux chats in Marbella, Spain, with British influencer Ed Matthews.

From Salon • Apr. 6, 2026

Toward August, when winter began to last forever, Úrsula was finally able to give him a piece of news that sounded like the truth.

From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez