on·to
ˈȯn-(ˌ)tü 
ˈän-
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 further—
Bosley Crowther
Bosley Crowther3
—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
: 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
Mark Davis, Newsweek, 15 Mar. 2025
Other clips showed the couple walking out onto the field celebrating, and even stealing some smooches before and after games.
—Kimberlee Speakman, People.com, 15 Mar. 2025
With Isak pulling into those wider left channels in Newcastle’s attack, there are even occasions of Van Dijk being willing to drift out of position — running across his own centre-back — to follow the Sweden international rather than pass him onto a team-mate.
—Mark Carey, The Athletic, 15 Mar. 2025
Paint the windows: Paint the windows as normal, allowing the paint to overflow onto the liquid masking area to ensure full coverage of the wood.
—Kamron Sanders, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for onto
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show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Preposition
In this scenario many of State Farms' current customers could be forced onto the California FAIR Plan, an insurance program of last resort that the state is trying to move people away from.
—Mark Davis, Newsweek, 15 Mar. 2025
Other clips showed the couple walking out onto the field celebrating, and even stealing some smooches before and after games.
—Kimberlee Speakman, People.com, 15 Mar. 2025
With Isak pulling into those wider left channels in Newcastle’s attack, there are even occasions of Van Dijk being willing to drift out of position — running across his own centre-back — to follow the Sweden international rather than pass him onto a team-mate.
—Mark Carey, The Athletic, 15 Mar. 2025
Paint the windows: Paint the windows as normal, allowing the paint to overflow onto the liquid masking area to ensure full coverage of the wood.
—Kamron Sanders, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for onto
Cite this Entry
“Onto.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/onto. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
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