onto

¹

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

preposition

1. to a place or position on; upon; on.

   to get onto a horse.

2. Informal.,  in or into a state of awareness about.

   I'm onto your scheme.

adjective

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

onto-

²

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

   ontogeny.

onto

¹

/ ˈɒntə, ˈɒntʊ /

preposition

1. to a position that is on

   step onto the train as it passes

2. having become aware of (something illicit or secret)

   the police are onto us

3. into contact with

   get onto the factory

onto-

²

combining form

1. existence or being

   ontogeny

   ontology

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of onto¹

First recorded in 1575–85; on + to

Origin of onto²

< New Latin < Greek ont- (stem of ón, neuter present participle of eînai to be) + -o- -o-

Word History and Origins

Origin of onto¹

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

Example Sentences

I can’t tell if Kavanaugh genuinely regrets signing onto that and is experiencing true remorse—especially after seeing some judges’ reactions—or if he’s just trying to play good cop and bad cop all at once.

From Slate

Kavanaugh has done this before; for instance, he notoriously signed onto a Clarence Thomas dissent in the census citizenship case that accused the district court judge, Jesse Furman, of being a kind of crazy-eyed conspiracy theorist who puts pins on a board and connects them with string.

From Slate

"One teacher has mentioned to us that they are concerned about crushing trying to get onto packed buses."

From BBC

Taccone was using the ladder to hang lights around the barn to highlight the mural when he fell 20 feet onto his butt.

From Los Angeles Times

First, iron ore is dissolved into an acidic solution and then an electrical charge causes the iron to collect onto metal plates.

From BBC

When To Use

What does onto- mean?

Onto- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “being.” It is occasionally used in technical terms, especially in philosophy.The form onto- comes from Greek ṓn, meaning “being.” The Latin equivalents are ēns, ent- and essent- “being,” which are the sources of entity and essence.What are variants of onto-?When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, onto- becomes ont-, as in ontic. When used as a suffix at the end of a word, onto- becomes -ont, as in diplont. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use articles for ont- and -ont.