onward

adverb on·ward \ ˈȯn-wərd , ˈän- \

variants: or less commonly onwards play \ˈȯn-wərdz, ˈän-\

|Updated on: 4 Aug 2018

Examples: onward in a Sentence

Definition of onward

: toward or at a point lying ahead in space or time : forward

See onward defined for English-language learners

See onward defined for kids

Examples of onward in a Sentence

They have lived in that house from 1983 onward.
we must continue to move onward, or we will die in this desert

Recent Examples of onward from the Web

The corner of southwest Syria is an important corridor for trade between Syria and Jordan, and onward to the oil-rich Gulf states.

— Washington Post, "Syrian government raises its flag over cradle of 2011 revolt," 12 July 2018
Later, that same trail led us across a 2-mile-long, curving, sandy beach with nary a soul nor structure in sight before heading onward through rich farmland.

— doug hansen, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Hiking Spain's wild coast," 12 July 2018
The boys entered the caverns around 2 p.m. About an hour later, there was a sudden downpour lasting half an hour, followed by steady rain from 7 p.m. onward.

— jake maxwell watts, WSJ, "Four Boys Rescued From Flooded Thai Cave," 8 July 2018
From the opening scenes onward LaBruce shows how the cell is vulnerable to infighting and infiltration.

— ben sachs, Chicago Reader, "Lesbian revolutionaries smash sexual taboos to undermine the patriarchy in Bruce LaBruce's The Misandrists," 6 July 2018
Social media giants Facebook have won the rights to broadcast Premier League games in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos from 2019 onward.

— SI.com, "Facebook Win £200m Broadcast Rights Battle to Show Premier League Matches in Parts of Asia," 5 July 2018
Hundreds of thousands more have migrated onward to Europe, with Germany taking in the bulk.

— karin laub, Fox News, "Corbyn: Labour government would quickly recognize Palestine," 22 June 2018
Sixty matches are to be played in the United States, including all matches from the quarterfinals onward.

— kevin sieff, Washington Post, "Mexicans and Canadians cheer winning World Cup bid despite tensions with U.S.," 13 June 2018
From 2015 onward, global oil demand has increased strongly, and this is likely to continue.

— jake meth, Fortune, "Trump Wants to Blame OPEC for High Oil Prices. But He’s Much More at Fault," 29 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'onward.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of onward

15th century

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

onward Synonyms

Synonyms

ahead, along, forth, forward, forwards, on;

Near Antonyms

back, backward (or backwards), behind, rearward (also rearwards);

onward

adjective

Definition of onward

: directed or moving onward : forward

See onward defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of onward from the Web

Upon arrival at Nadi International Airport you will be met by the guest relations officer from Laucala Island Resort who will assist you with your luggage and onward connecting flight.

— tom ricketts, Town & Country, "How to Plan a Trip to Fiji," 5 Oct. 2016
The journalists were told that their onward travel would involve a 12-hour train ride, followed by a four-hour bus journey, and then a hike to get to the site, which is over 300 miles from Wonsan.

— adam taylor, Washington Post, "For foreign journalists, a lengthy and bizarre journey to see a North Korean nuclear test site demolition," 24 May 2018
This is a straight-ahead trio for the ages, fed by a tension between Mr. Jarrett’s resolute, lapidary touch and the collective’s shape-shifting, onward drive.

— jon pareles, New York Times, "The Playlist: Beyoncé and Jay-Z Unite, and 12 More New Songs," 2 Mar. 2018
Helen Maguire, director of consumer sales, said the airline is working with Irish tourism officials to encourage customers to spend a few days in Ireland before making onward connections.

— andrew maykuth, Philly.com, "Aer Lingus cleared for takeoff at Philadelphia airport," 30 Jan. 2018
Notify the embassy of your whereabouts, status, and onward travel plans online via the State Department’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program, or STEP.

— cynthia drescher, CNT, "Bali's Mount Agung Volcano: What Travelers Should Know," 26 Sep. 2017
The animal was supposed to fly an onward leg to Kansas City, Mo., after landing at Chicago’s O'Hare International Airport.

— Fox News, "United Airline controversies: From revoking toddler's seat to David Dao’s removal," 6 July 2017
From there, a second study led by researchers from the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla suggests that the island nations of the Caribbean became the springboard for Zika’s onward travel.

— melissa healy, latimes.com, "What the DNA of the Zika virus tells scientists about its rapid spread," 25 May 2017
Before July 1, travelers could book their Ravn flights at AlaskaAir.com in conjunction with their onward flights.

— scott mcmurren, Alaska Dispatch News, "Bears, fish and Valley of 10,000 Smokes make Katmai well worth the trip – and the price tag," 14 July 2017