towards

adv, adj — 2 senses

towards

adv

UK /təˈwɔːdz/ · US /tʊˈwɔɹdz/

Etymology From Middle English towardes, from Old English tōweardes, tōwærdes, equivalent to toward + -s (adverbial suffix).

1

In the direction of something (indicated by context).

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:

towards

adj

Etymology From Middle English towardes, from Old English tōweardes, tōwærdes, equivalent to toward + -s (adverbial suffix).

1

Near; at hand; in state of preparation; toward.

We have a trifling foolish banquet towards.c. 1591–1595 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene v]:

Derived terms: untowards

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.