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

As breaking news banners and push alerts crashed onto screens from coast to coast, stunning millions with news of the former National Football League star’s death, the moment produced one last Simpson-centric collective event for the national consciousness. —Oliver Darcy, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024

The blockbuster movie Barbie catapulted the actor back onto our screens as a life-size version of the globe’s favorite doll, sending her fame level into the stratosphere. —Philipp Wehsack, Vogue, 12 Apr. 2024

Our vision is to translate this timeless epic onto the silver screen in a grand spectacle, honoring its scale. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 12 Apr. 2024

Trump fired Esper shortly after the election amid speculation that Trump might try to use the military to hold onto power. —USA TODAY, 12 Apr. 2024

The Corvette and Lamborghini were speeding in the far left lane of the highway when both drivers lost control and Rice veered onto the shoulder and hit the median wall, investigators have said. —Nicole Lopez, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Apr. 2024

The plane dropped survival packages and a radio onto the island while the Oliver Henry was diverted to pick them up. —Patrick Smith, NBC News, 11 Apr. 2024

More homes are starting to come onto the market, but inventory is still tight and expected to remain so, according to forecasters. —Andrew Khouri, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024

Ulysses Romero didn’t even have time to take a shine to this glassy geodesic dome before deciding to flip it back onto the market. —Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 11 Apr. 2024

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
• map onto
• onto something
• lock onto
• project onto
• stumble across/on/onto/upon
• give onto
• latch onto
• 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