towards

English

Etymology

From toward +‎ -s. See -s (Etymology 3)

Pronunciation

• (RP) IPA: /təˈwɔːdz/, SAMPA: /t@"wO:dz/
• (GenAm) IPA: /tʊˈwɔːɹdz/, /twɔːɹdz/, /tɔːɹdz/, SAMPA: /tU"wO:r\dz/, /tO:r\dz/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: to‧wards

Preposition

towards (mainly in British English)

1. Variant of toward.
   • 2011 October 1, Phil McNulty, “Everton 0 - 2 Liverpool”, 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.

Synonyms

• toward

Usage notes

• Although some have tried to discern a semantic distinction between the words toward and towards, the difference is merely dialectal. Toward is more common in American English and towards is the predominant form in British English.

See also

• See w:Adverbial genitive

Translations

toward — see toward

Adverb

towards (comparative more towards, superlative most towards)

1. (obsolete) In the direction of something (indicated by context).
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, II.iv:

     Thus as he spake, lo far away they spyde / A varlet running towards hastily [...].

Statistics

• Most common English words before 1923: really · replied · making · #375: towards · friends · forth · fire