ONTO Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com

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onto

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

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

preposition

to a place or position on; upon; on:
to get onto a horse.
Informal. in or into a state of awareness about:
I'm onto your scheme.

adjective

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

onto-

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

onto-

combining_form

existence or being
ontology
ontogeny

onto

/ ˈɒntə; ˈɒntʊ /

preposition

to a position that is on
step onto the train as it passes
having become aware of (something illicit or secret)
the police are onto us
into contact with
get onto the factory

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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

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of onto¹

First recorded in 1575–85; on + to

Origin of onto²

< New Latin < Greek ont- (stem of ó��, neuter present participle of ��î�Բ�� to be) + -o- -o-

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of onto¹

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

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Compare Meanings

How does onto compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

All this has culminated in a fringe movement that has become both more energised and extreme, spilling out from behind computer screens onto the streets.

From

I shouldn’t have filled up on the rich before we arrived here at the movie theater to see “Death of a Unicorn,” the new star-studded film that sprinkles finishing salt onto the elite like it’s preparing them for a mukbang video.

From

Japan, where the gaming company is based, has been hit with a 24% tariff - a cost which the firm must swallow or pass onto consumers.

From

It has also occupied a demilitarised buffer zone, set up after the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, and has sent forces onto the Syrian side of a nearby mountain, setting up nine bases across the area.

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"There was no-one you could speak to so it relied on me going onto the US department of whatever website, trying to look at lots of detail that basically didn't exist," he says.

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