Toward
adj, name, prep ·Moderate ·High school level
Definitions
- 1 Yielding, pliant; docile; ready or apt to learn; not froward. US, not-comparable
- 2 Approaching, coming near; impending; present, at hand. US, dated, not-comparable
"Do you heare ought (Sir) of a Battell toward."
- 3 Promising, likely. US, archaic, not-comparable, obsolete
"Clif[ford] Why that is ſpoken like a toward Prince."
- 4 Future; to-come. US, not-comparable, obsolete
"But ear that wiſhed day his beame diſcloſd, / He either enuying my toward good, / Or of him ſelfe to treaſon ill diſpoſd / One day vnto me came in friendly mood, / And told for ſecret how he vnderſtood / […]"
- 1 In the direction of. US
"She moved toward the door."
- 2 In relation to (someone or something). US
"What are your feelings toward him?"
- 3 For the purpose of attaining (an aim). US
"I'm saving money toward retirement."
- 4 Located close to; near (a time or place). US
"Our place is over toward the station."
- 1 A coastal village south of Dunoon, Argyll and Bute council area, Scotland (OS grid ref NS1367).
- 2 A surname, apparently taken from the place name.
Example
More examples"This advice of yours will go a long way toward solving the problem."
Etymology
From Middle English toward, from Old English tōweard, from Proto-West Germanic *tōward, equivalent to to + -ward. Cognate with Middle Low German tôwart, Middle Dutch toewaert (Modern Dutch toewaarts), Middle High German zuowart, zūwart (Modern German zuwärts). Compare also Middle English tilward, tillward (“toward”).
Related phrases
More for "toward"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.