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

The release goes onto say that not long after the girl moved in with her mother, the two vanished. —USA TODAY, 24 Apr. 2024

Sleek legs and feet, adorned in chunky leather and wooden wedges, were elegantly placed onto the ground as guests sat front row at Chloé’s Paris Fashion Week presentation in February. —Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 24 Apr. 2024

The process of projecting the radar data onto the 2D image is governed by a transformation matrix based on the sensors’ parameters and physical measurements done during the calibration process. —IEEE Spectrum, 23 Apr. 2024

On April 22, the reptile snuck onto a tarmac at the MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa and was caught on camera snoozing by the wheels of an airplane, photos shared by the base on Facebook show. —Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 23 Apr. 2024

The demonstration spilled onto the streets of New Haven, where Yale's campus is located, about 80 miles north of New York City. —Lucia Suarez Sang, CBS News, 22 Apr. 2024

Holding onto the tradition, during this year’s Biennale’s opening, Dior again partnered with the VHF, throwing a dazzling fundraising at Arsenale Vecchio, a military site occupied by the Italian navy, usually closed to the public yet exceptionally open to host the Naumachia ball. —Tiziana Cardini, Vogue, 22 Apr. 2024

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

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