to
to Lexical Profile
to Game Scores & Validity
• preposition
Expressing a point reached at the end of a range, extent, or period of time.
"The museum exhibition is open from Tuesday to Sunday each week."
Used as a function word before the base form of a verb to mark the infinitive and express purpose, intention, or result.
"They organized a community meeting to discuss the proposed neighborhood park."
Identifying the person or thing affected, or the recipient of an action or object.
"He handed the signed contract to the legal director."
Expressing motion or direction toward a point, person, place, or thing approached and reached.
"She walked to the university library every morning before her first lecture."
Indicating a relationship of comparison, ratio, proportion, or attachment between two things.
"The committee voted three to one in favor of the revised budget."
• adverb
Into a state of consciousness, awareness, or normal activity after fainting or sleeping.
"When the patient finally came to, she was already inside the recovery room."
So as to be closed, shut, or nearly closed.
"Please pull the heavy oak door to on your way out of the study."
Word Nuance & Usage
Often confused with its homophones "too" (an adverb meaning "also" or "excessively") and "two" (the number 2). As an infinitive marker, "to" precedes the base form of a verb, whereas as a preposition it is followed by a noun, pronoun, or gerund (e.g., "look forward to meeting you").
• Rhymes for to
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English tō ("in the direction of, for the purpose of, furthermore"), from Proto-Germanic *tō, ultimately derived from a Proto-Indo-European demonstrative stem.