onto

¹

[ on-too, awn-; unstressed on-tuh, awn- ]

preposition

1. to a place or position on; upon; on:

   to get onto a horse.

2. Informal. in or into a state of awareness about:

   I'm onto your scheme.

adjective

1. Also . Mathematics. pertaining to a function or map from one set to another set, the range of which is the entire second set.

onto-

²

1. a combining form meaning “being,” used in the formation of compound words:

   ontogeny.

onto-

¹

combining_form

1. existence or being

   ontology

   ontogeny

onto

²

/ ˈɒntə; ˈɒntʊ /

preposition

1. to a position that is on

   step onto the train as it passes

2. having become aware of (something illicit or secret)

   the police are onto us

3. into contact with

   get onto the factory

Usage

Onto is now generally accepted as a word in its own right. On to is still used, however, where on is considered to be part of the verb: he moved on to a different town as contrasted with he jumped onto the stage

Word History and Origins

Origin of onto¹

First recorded in 1575–85; on + to

Origin of onto²

< New Latin < Greek ont- (stem of ón, neuter present participle of eînai to be) + -o- -o-

Word History and Origins

Origin of onto¹

from Late Greek, from ōn (stem ont- ) being, present participle of einai to be

Example Sentences

Once we got onto the 91 Freeway, the traffic smoothed out, and so did my flow of thoughts.

From Los Angeles Times

What appears to be evidence of the oldest alphabetic writing in human history is etched onto finger-length, clay cylinders excavated from a tomb in Syria by a team of Johns Hopkins University researchers.

From Science Daily

This is then sprayed onto the interior of a pipe or tube, which makes that inner surface extremely slippery.

From BBC

“Gladiator II” maps closely onto the original film’s structure and style, so there’s not much about it that is surprising or unexpected.

From Los Angeles Times

In the aftermath of the natural disaster, people latched onto these strandings as an omen of the disaster.

From Los Angeles Times