onto

Definition

Arriving upon or on top of (speaking of a physical or metaphorical movement).

Etymology

From on + to, after into. Compare Saterland Frisian antou (“up to”).

Example Sentences

• "My cat just jumped onto the keyboard."
• "A new drug has just come onto the market."
• "Private-equity nabobs bristle at being dubbed mere financiers. Piling debt onto companies’ balance-sheets is only a small part of what leveraged buy-outs are about, they insist. Improving the workings of the businesses they take over is just as core to their calling, if not more so. Much of their pleading is public-relations bluster."