towards

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English

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Etymology

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From Middle English towardes, from Old English tōweardes, tōwærdes, equivalent to toward +‎ -s (adverbial suffix).

Pronunciation

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Preposition

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towards

  1. Alternative form of toward
    Synonym: toward
    Antonyms: fromward, fromwards
    • 1835, Sir John Ross, Sir James Clark Ross, Narrative of a Second Voyage in Search of a North-west Passage …, Volume 1, pages 284–5:
      Towards the following morning, the thermometer fell to 5°; and at daylight, there was not an atom of water to be seen in any direction.
    • 1960 December, Voyageur, “The Mountain Railways of the Bernese Oberland”, in Trains Illustrated, page 752:
      To the left towers the Jungfrau, with the train heading directly towards it.
    • 2011 October 1, Phil McNulty, “Everton 0-2 Liverpool”, in BBC Sport:
      But with Goodison Park openly directing its full hostility towards Atkinson, Liverpool went ahead when Carroll turned in his first Premier League goal of the season after 70 minutes.

Usage notes

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  • Although some have tried to discern a semantic distinction between the words toward and towards, the only difference in practice is dialectal. Toward is more common in American English and towards is more common in British English, though each form may be found in both varieties.

Derived terms

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Translations

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See also

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Adverb

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towards (not comparable)

  1. In the direction of something (indicated by context).

Adjective

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towards (not comparable)

  1. Near; at hand; in state of preparation; toward.

Middle English

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Preposition

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towards

  1. Alternative form of towardes