Toward or towards?
toward is a preposition meaning “In the direction of”; towards is a preposition meaning “Alternative form of toward”. In written English (wordfreq, 2021 data) towards is about 2.2 times as common as toward.
What is the difference between toward and towards?
| toward | towards | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of speech | preposition, adjective | preposition, adverb, adjective |
| Meaning | USIn the direction of USIn relation to (someone or something) USYielding, pliant; docile; ready or apt to learn; not froward | In the direction of something (indicated by context) Near; at hand; in state of preparation; toward |
| Example | She moved toward the door | none recorded |
| Forms | towards | none |
| Pronunciation | /təˈwɔːd/ /tɔɹd/ /ˈtwɔɹd/ | /təˈwɔːdz/ [tʰə̥ˈwɔːdz] /ˈtɔːdz/ |
| In writing | 52 times per million words | 115 times per million words |
Sources: toward and towards in the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Every current meaning of toward and towards
toward
- 1
USIn the direction of
She moved toward the door
- 2
USYielding, pliant; docile; ready or apt to learn; not froward
- 3
USIn relation to (someone or something)
What are your feelings toward him?
- 4
USdatedApproaching, coming near; impending; present, at hand
- 5
USFor the purpose of attaining (an aim)
I'm saving money toward retirement
- 6
USLocated close to; near (a time or place)
Our place is over toward the station
towards
- 1
Alternative form of toward
- 2
In the direction of something (indicated by context)
- 3
Near; at hand; in state of preparation; toward
Source: the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); obsolete, archaic, dialect and rare senses left out.
Which is more common, toward or towards?
toward appears 52 times per million words; towards 115 times per million words.
toward 52 times per million wordstowards 115 times per million words
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).