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 furtherBosley 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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Preposition
At the scene, officers saw the man walking along the bridge cables, and Emergency Services Unit members climbed onto the cables and tried to speak with him for almost an hour, Dowling said. ABC News, 4 Sep. 2026 The man killed in the crash was riding a Skag lawn mower and traveled onto the road, pulling into the path of a southbound 2013 Chevrolet Malibu driven by a 63-year-old man, also from Liberty. Kansas City Star, 4 Sep. 2026 When Kit takes her whole family out onto the lawn of her uncle’s country home to watch Halley’s Comet, Gharavi’s camera spins around the night skies and Simon Goff’s ethereal score soars. Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2026 The left-back allows the ball to go across his body and his first touch is the immediate pass, from deep, into space for the striker to latch onto. Beren Cross, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for onto

Word History

First Known Use

Preposition

1581, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1942, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of onto was in 1581

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Onto.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/onto. Accessed 7 Sep. 2026.

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
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