onward

1 of 2

adverb

on·​ward ˈȯn-wərd 

ˈän-

variants or less commonly onwards

ˈȯn-wərdz 

ˈän-

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

onward

2 of 2

adjective

: directed or moving onward : forward

Synonyms of onward

Adverb

• forward

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

Senegal scored four unanswered goals from that point onward. — Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 27 June 2026

Drinking boosted morale and carried them onward through the next phase of war, Barbier writes. — Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 26 June 2026

Adjective

Alternatively, there is Dublin and Shannon with onward connections via Aer Lingus, and there’s London. — Larry Olmsted, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026

Sequence unraveled, and with it the onward rush, progression, the sense of one event coming after another; my understanding of cause and effect, of the chronological chopping-up of time both personal and historical—before and after, premodern and modern—all blurred, folded, unraveled out of reach. — Literary Hub, 16 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adverb

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing onward

• onward and upward

Kids Definition

onward

1 of 2 adverb

on·​ward ˈȯn-wərd 

ˈän-

variants also onwards

-wərdz 

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

kept moving onward

onward

2 of 2 adjective

: directed or moving onward

the onward march of time