onto

1 of 2

preposition

on·​to ˈȯn-(ˌ)tü 

ˈän-

1

: to a position on

We climbed onto the roof.

Turn left onto Fifth Avenue.

2

: in or into a state of awareness about

put me onto your methods

was onto something that should have been pursued further

—Bosley Crowther

3

—used as a function word to indicate a set each element of which is the image of at least one element of another set

a function mapping the set S onto the set T

onto

2 of 2

adjective

: mapping elements in such a way that every element in one set is the image of at least one element in another set

a function that is one-to-one and onto

Examples of onto in a Sentence

Preposition

We climbed onto the building's roof.

The book fell onto the floor.

The water spilled onto the floor.

The cowboy leaped onto his horse.

Transfer the data onto a disk.

Turn left onto Third Street at the traffic light.

Recent Examples on the Web

Preposition

Hicks, of La Plata, dropped 20 to 30 feet onto the field, according to his family’s lawsuit. —Dan Belson, Baltimore Sun, 19 Feb. 2025

The Scuderia held onto their iconic red but added more HP branding, featuring a big white stripe with a blue HP logo on the engine cover. —Yara Elshebiny, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2025

The lack of elite arm strength, and his propensity for holding onto the ball for too long will have to be addressed during the draft process. —San Diego Union-Tribune, Orlando Sentinel, 19 Feb. 2025

Bellinger burst onto the scene in 2017, winning Rookie of the Year with the Dodgers before taking home his own MVP trophy after hitting a career-high 47 homers in 2019. —Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 19 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Preposition

1581, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1942, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing onto

• build onto
• fasten onto
• get on/onto the subject of
• get onto
• give onto
• latch onto
• lock onto
• map onto
• onto something
• project onto
• stumble across/on/onto/upon
• voted on/onto

Kids Definition

onto

preposition

on·​to

ˌȯn-tə,

ˌän-;

ˈȯn-tü,

ˈän-

1

: to a position on or against

leaped onto the horse

climbed onto the roof

2

: in a state of knowing about or becoming aware of

I'm onto their little game