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

On a cloudy Tuesday afternoon, a few hundred feet away, 46-year-old Nicole Jones and 51-year-old Desiree Maestas crossed onto North Lipan Street, discussing the change to come. —Luca Evans, Denver Post, 10 Sep. 2025

Silver might be comforted by the fact that even many liberals who had fled for Bluesky seem to be embracing X-ism once more, creeping back onto the platform with a certain furtive guilt. —Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 10 Sep. 2025

Here, Newell merged live acting performances in front of the audience with green screen camera images shot backstage in real time and projected live onto a basic movie screen at the back of the stage. —Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 10 Sep. 2025

Netflix’s Love Is Blind became a total phenomenon that rivaled The Bachelor at its prime, and Peacock’s Love Island burst onto the mainstream this summer to become a sensation that completely took over the internet, if not the world. —Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 10 Sep. 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