towards

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /təˈwɔːdz/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /tʊˈwɔːɹdz/, /twɔːɹdz/, /tɔːɹdz/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: to‧wards

Preposition

towards (mainly in British English)

1. Variant of toward.
   • 1835, Sir John Ross, Sir James Clark Ross, Narrative of a Second Voyage in Search of a North-west Passage …, Volume 1, pp.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.

   • 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. Towards is the most common form, while toward tends to appear only in American English.

See also

• See w:Adverbial genitive

Translations

toward — see toward

Adverb

towards (comparative more towards, superlative most towards)

1. 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 [...].

Adjective

towards (not comparable)

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

     We have a trifling foolish banquet / Towards.

Statistics

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