onward

adverb

Save Word

on·ward | \ ˈȯn-wərd

, ˈän- \

variants: or less commonly onwards \ ˈȯn-wərdz

, ˈän- \

Definition of onward

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

onward

adjective

Definition of onward (Entry 2 of 2)

: directed or moving onward : forward

Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More About onward

Keep scrolling for more

Synonyms for onward

Synonyms: Adverb

Examples of onward in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web: Adverb Hold here for three breaths, or proceed onward if flexibility allows. — Stephanie Mansour, CNN, 22 Dec. 2020 Copper has been mined in Congo since at least the fourth century, and the deposits were known to Portuguese slave traders from the fifteenth century onward. — Nicolas Niarchos, The New Yorker, 24 May 2021 Lots of data show that social-network size shrinks [from] about age 65 onward. — Sheon Han, The Atlantic, 20 May 2021 While no treasure has been found, peripheral discoveries—apparent clues, possible traps, and geological curiosities—have compelled searchers onward, even as historians dispute the more sensational claims surrounding the treasure. — Dylan Taylor-lehman, Popular Mechanics, 13 May 2021 Cheney, however, is marching onward with flags flying. — Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2021 San Antonio was behind Dallas and Houston in numbers, but the organization — operating here as Klan No. 31 — was sufficiently well-established to rent premises in Beethoven Hall at 403 S. Alamo St. and to sponsor an annual rodeo from 1922 onward. — Paula Allen, San Antonio Express-News, 8 May 2021 Rich countries were meant to provide the money from 2020 onward to help developing nations reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change. — Frank Jordans, Star Tribune, 7 May 2021 As became clear during the anti-Rohingya violence in Myanmar from 2017 onward, hate speech can spread quickly on Facebook, with severe real-world consequences. — Washington Post, 6 May 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective The economic trajectory, though interrupted, is still onward and upward. — Dallas News, 6 June 2021 Results indicated that the rapid antigen tests can detect 83 percent to 89.5 percent of infections leading to onward transmission. — William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 1 June 2021 Studies from Israel and the U.K. suggest the vaccine developed by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE is highly effective at preventing onward transmission. — Jason Douglas, WSJ, 20 Apr. 2021 And that's how deal making went in Minnesota last year — onward but different. — Star Tribune, 7 Feb. 2021 So at least that bit of hockey nostalgia has not been lost to the onward march of technology. — Kevin Paul Dupont, BostonGlobe.com, 2 Jan. 2021 But can serve to stop onward spread from the tester. — Elizabeth Cooney, STAT, 2 Oct. 2020 The government plan calls for all new cars sold in Japan from the mid-2030s onward to be electrified. — Peter Landers, WSJ, 25 Dec. 2020 The company added on its website that trains to Brussels are limited to Belgian citizens and residents, with few limited exceptions, and that people mustn’t travel there to catch onward trains to other countries. — Christopher Jasper, Bloomberg.com, 23 Dec. 2020

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.