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
Sarah Evans, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2025
The sports media outlet owned by The New York Times will be paying seven figures to bring the show onto its platform, according to Bloomberg, which first reported the deal Tuesday.
—Jason Clinkscales, Sportico.com, 5 Aug. 2025
As Dalton Riggs and his BYU teammates made their way out of the visiting tunnel and onto the field at FBC Mortgage Stadium last October to face UCF, one thought lingered in his mind.
—Matt Murschel, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Aug. 2025
But only one gets to run out onto the home field of the Carolina Panthers on Aug. 29th for the first series.
—Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for onto
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Preposition
Colleagues are navigating trauma while trying to hold onto optimism.
—Sarah Evans, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2025
The sports media outlet owned by The New York Times will be paying seven figures to bring the show onto its platform, according to Bloomberg, which first reported the deal Tuesday.
—Jason Clinkscales, Sportico.com, 5 Aug. 2025
As Dalton Riggs and his BYU teammates made their way out of the visiting tunnel and onto the field at FBC Mortgage Stadium last October to face UCF, one thought lingered in his mind.
—Matt Murschel, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Aug. 2025
But only one gets to run out onto the home field of the Carolina Panthers on Aug. 29th for the first series.
—Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 5 Aug. 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 9 Aug. 2025.
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