to

1 of 3

preposition

,
tu̇,
ˈtü How to pronounce to (audio)
1
a
used as a function word to indicate movement or an action or condition suggestive of movement toward a place, person, or thing reached
drove to the city
went back to the original idea
went to lunch
b
used as a function word to indicate direction
a mile to the south
turned his back to the door
a tendency to silliness
c
used as a function word to indicate contact or proximity
applied polish to the table
put her hand to her heart
d(1)
used as a function word to indicate the place or point that is the far limit
100 miles to the nearest town
(2)
used as a function word to indicate the limit of extent
stripped to the waist
e
used as a function word to indicate relative position
perpendicular to the floor
2
a
used as a function word to indicate purpose, intention, tendency, result, or end
came to our aid
drink to his health
b
used as a function word to indicate the result of an action or a process
broken all to pieces
go to seed
to their surprise, the train left on time
3
used as a function word to indicate position or relation in time: such as
a
: before
five minutes to five
b
: until sense 2
from eight to five
up to now
4
used as a function word to indicate addition, attachment, connection, belonging, possession, accompaniment, or response
the key to the door
danced to live music
comes to her call
5
used as a function word (1) to indicate the extent or degree (as of completeness or accuracy)
loyal to a man
generous to a fault
or the extent and result (as of an action or a condition)
beaten to death
(2) to indicate the last or an intermediate point of a series
moderate to cool temperatures
6
a
used as a function word (1) to indicate a relation to one that serves as a standard
inferior to her earlier works
(2) to indicate similarity, correspondence, dissimilarity, or proportion
compared him to a god
b
used as a function word to indicate agreement or conformity
add salt to taste
to my knowledge
c
used as a function word to indicate a proportion in terms of numbers or quantities
400 to the box
odds of ten to one
7
a
used as a function word (1) to indicate the application of an adjective or a noun
agreeable to everyone
attitude to friends
title to the property
(2) to indicate the relation of a verb to its complement or to a complementary element
refers to the traditions
(3) to indicate the receiver of an action or the one for which something is done or exists
gives a dollar to the man
and often used with a reflexive pronoun to indicate exclusiveness (as of possession) or separateness
had the house to themselves
b
used as a function word to indicate agency
falls to his opponent's blows
8
used as a function word to indicate that the following verb is an infinitive
wants to go
and often used by itself at the end of a clause in place of an infinitive suggested by the preceding context
knows more than she seems to

to

2 of 3

adverb

1
a
used as a function word to indicate direction toward
run to and fro
b
: close to the wind
the gale having gone over, we came toR. H. Dana
2
: to a state of consciousness or awareness
brings her to with smelling salts
3
a
: into contact especially with the frame
used of a door or a window
the door snapped to
b
used as a function word to indicate physical application or attachment
he … hath set to his sealJohn 3:33 (King James Version)
4
used as a function word to indicate application or attention
will stand toWilliam Shakespeare
5
: at hand : by
get to see 'em close toRichard Llewellyn

TO

3 of 3

abbreviation

1
table of organization
2
traditional orthography
3
turnover

Examples of to in a Sentence

Preposition right now it's 25 minutes to 10:00 Adverb The wind blew the door to.
Recent Examples on the Web
Preposition
Lax grandparents want to take 5-year-old on vacation More: Sign up for Carolyn’s email newsletter to get her column delivered to your inbox each morning. Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024 Deputies responded to a call for help at 5:18 p.m. for a man stuck inside the tank, the sheriff’s office said. Mitchell Willetts, Kansas City Star, 24 Mar. 2024 Senate Bill 1380 would establish an ombudsman to monitor child welfare, allowing the office to respond to claims and complaints about children in residential treatment facilities. Wilson Criscione, Idaho Statesman, 24 Mar. 2024 In response, Johnson has been forced to opt for a procedural tactic called suspension to muscle legislation to the floor with little debate. USA TODAY, 24 Mar. 2024 Then living in Los Angeles, Smart flew to New York to be at his bedside in his final days. Rance Collins, Variety, 24 Mar. 2024 But several years later, his son urged him to go to a healing service at Foothills Church in El Cajon. Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Mar. 2024 From the timeless Small Vera Tote Bag to the newer Featherweight Belt Bag, there's a style to fit all of your warm-weather adventures. Wendy Vazquez, Southern Living, 24 Mar. 2024 Fiat is taking a different approach to the rollout of its 500e electric vehicle in the United States. Eric D. Lawrence, Detroit Free Press, 13 Mar. 2024
Adverb
When interest rates rose last year, so did the price tag, to well over $5 billion, in part because of borrowing costs. Jon Chesto, BostonGlobe.com, 25 June 2023 Scholars disagree which head injury transformed the king from kind to cruel. Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 3 Aug. 2022 Twenty years after those underdog Patriots shocked the football world and triggered the transformation of Boston into a City of Champions, life has been extraordinarily kind to many in their ranks. Bob Hohler, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Dec. 2022 In the fire's aftermath, land managers confronting the effects of steadily larger and hotter infernos burning enormous swaths of forest must determine where to most efficiently plant new trees. Susan Cosier, Scientific American, 26 Mar. 2021 That will take time — 12 to 24 months at a minimum — and the calendar has not been kind to under-performing retailers recently. Warren Shoulberg, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2021 Here are the pizzas, from best- to worst-tasting: 1. Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'to.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Preposition

Middle English, from Old English ; akin to Old High German zuo to, Latin donec as long as, until

First Known Use

Preposition

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adverb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of to was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near to

Cite this Entry

“To.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/to. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

to

1 of 2 preposition
tə How to pronounce to (audio)
tu̇,
(ˈ)tü
1
a
used to indicate movement or something suggesting movement toward a place, person, or thing reached
walked to school
send data to disk storage
went back to my first idea
b
used to indicate direction
a mile to the south
your back to the window
c
used to indicate contact
apply polish to the table
d
used to indicate a limit
the water was up to my waist
2
used to indicate purpose, result, or end
came to our aid
broke to pieces
sentenced to death
3
a
: before entry 2 sense 3
at quarter to five
b
: until entry 1
from nine to five
4
used to indicate belonging, accompanying, or responding
the key to the lock
dance to live music
not much you could say to that
5
a
used to indicate a relation of likeness or unlikeness
similar to mine
b
used to indicate agreement
salt to taste
c
used to indicate a proportion in terms of number or amount
packed 10 to the box
6
a
used to indicate the relation of adjective to noun
agreeable to all of us
or verb to complement
sticks to business
b
used to indicate one that receives an action
spoke to the teacher
give it to me
7
: for no one but
had the house to ourselves
8
used to mark an infinitive
likes to swim
and often used by itself in place of an infinitive
I didn't mean to

to

2 of 2 adverb
1
: in the direction toward
run to and fro
2
: into contact especially with a frame
snapped her purse to
wind blew the door to
3
: to a state of consciousness or awareness
brings him to with smelling salts

More from Merriam-Webster on to

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!