Toward

Part of speech: preposition

Pronunciation: /təˈwɔːd/

Definitions

1. In the direction of; moving closer to something or someone in space, time, or purpose
2. In relation to a specific target or goal
3. indicating movement in the direction of a person, object, or concept

Etymology: Toward is a fairly plain formation: Old English "tōweard" joined "tō," meaning "to," with the suffix "-weard," which meant "turned or facing in a certain direction." So the word began as a description of something turned toward a place, and the preposition sense grew out of that. The same pattern shows up in other "-ward" words like "forward," "backward," and "homeward." The word also has relatives across the North Sea. Middle Low German "tôwart," Middle Dutch "toewaert," and Middle High German "zuowart" all share the same construction, so the word is a common inheritance from the Germanic languages rather than a borrowing. Modern Dutch "toewaarts" and German "zuwärts" still carry the same sense of movement in a direction.

Synonyms: towards, in the direction of

Antonyms: away, backward