Towards Meaning
/təˈwɔːdz/Definition, CEFR level A1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
prepAlternative form of toward.
advIn the direction of something (indicated by context).
Sentence Examples
What do you make of his attitude towards us these days?
Our feelings towards him are mixed.
They were heading towards the German border.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The dog ran quickly ____ its owner when called in the park.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The project is moving ____ completion, and we expect to be finished with all the work by the end of the month today.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree Old English tōweardes Middle English towardes English towards From Middle English towardes, from Old English tōweardes, tōwærdes, equivalent to toward + -s (adverbial suffix).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Towards the following morning, the thermometer fell to 5°; and at daylight, there was not an atom of water to be seen in any direction."
— 1835, Sir John Ross, Sir James Clark Ross, Narrative of a Second Voyage in Search of a North-west Passage …, Volume 1, pages 284–5:
"To the left towers the Jungfrau, with the train heading directly towards it."
— 1960 December, Voyageur, “The Mountain Railways of the Bernese Oberland”, in Trains Illustrated, page 752:
"But with Goodison Park openly directing its full hostility towards Atkinson, Liverpool went ahead when Carroll turned in his first Premier League goal of the season after 70 minutes."
— 2011 October 1, Phil McNulty, “Everton 0-2 Liverpool”, in BBC Sport:
"Huntingdon's ferocity makes the reaction of staff all the more brave. To move towards danger when others are fleeing is the definition of bravery in my book. To place yourself in danger to protect others."
— 2025 November 12, Philip Haigh, “High praise for rail staff's courage and clear thinking”, in RAIL, number 1048, page 50:
"Thus as he spake, lo far away they spyde / A varlet running towards hastily […]"
— 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto IV”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:
Explore More A1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The dog ran quickly ____ its owner when called in the park.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The project is moving ____ completion, and we expect to be finished with all the work by the end of the month today.