Basic+ Word of the Day: toward

toward (preposition)

Driving toward the mountains

Toward means ‘in the direction of.’

• The congregation faced toward the east when they prayed.
• Fran was walking toward the park when I saw her.

Toward also means ‘as a contribution to.’

• They are saving money toward a new house.
• All donations will go toward assisting the hurricane victims.

Toward can also mean ‘shortly before.’

• Toward the full moon, people start acting crazy.
• The kids get hungry toward noon.

Did you know?

Both toward and towards mean the same. If you ask a native English speaker if they prefer to say toward or towards, they’ll probably say either one sounds right. Some people say that towards is more British and toward is more American. But both forms are acceptable on either side of the pond (the Atlantic Ocean).

In pop culture

Watch this charming animated video of Rihanna’s song “Towards the Sun.”

There are other meanings of toward.