to

topreposition

To points toward a place, a person, a point, or a limit that something reaches, is directed at, or is measured against.

1. directionin the direction of a place and reaching it

   Used after verbs of movement to name the place that is reached. Home, here, there, and downtown take no to: go home.

   • We drove to the beach.
   • She walks to school every day.
   • Are you going to the party tonight?
   • Welcome to our home.

   Collocations

   verb + preposition go to, come to, walk to, drive to, move to, get to

   Compare toward (to says that the place is reached; toward gives only the direction); at (at is a position, to a movement: She is at school, She goes to school)

   1. ain a particular direction from something, or on a particular side

      • Turn to the left at the lights.
      • The lake is to the north of the town.
      • She sat to my right.

2. receivingused to show the person or thing that receives something or is affected by an action

   Used after verbs of giving, sending, showing, and speaking. With give, send, and show, the person can also come directly after the verb with no to (She gave her brother the book), but explain, say, and describe always need to.

   • She gave the book to her brother.
   • I sent an email to the whole team.
   • Can you explain the rules to me?
   • He said goodbye to everyone.

   Collocations

   verb + preposition give something to, send something to, talk to, say something to, explain something to, listen to

3. up to a limitas far as a particular point, number, or time

   • The water came up to my knees.
   • The store is open from nine to five.
   • My little brother can already count to twenty.
   • It's about ten miles from here to the coast.

   Collocations

   phrase from ... to, up to, to the end, to this day

   Compare until (for time, to usually follows from: from Monday to Friday; until can stand alone: until Friday); through (Monday through Friday is American and makes clear that Friday is included)

   1. aused between two numbers to give a range

      • The trip takes three to four hours.
      • There were twenty to thirty people there.

4. telling the timebefore the hour, when saying the time

   Used with minutes before the next hour: ten to six is 5:50. American English also uses of and till in this way.

   • It's ten to six.
   • The train leaves at a quarter to eight.
   • I woke up at five to seven.

   Antonyms past

   Compare past

5. belonging withconnected with, fitting, or forming part of something

   • Where's the key to the front door?
   • I don't know the answer to that question.
   • There's a door to the garden at the back.
   • We need to find a solution to this problem.

   Collocations

   noun + preposition the key to, the answer to, a solution to, the door to, the way to

6. in someone's opinionin the opinion or feelings of someone

   • To me, it seems like a good idea.
   • The song sounded sad to her.
   • Does it matter to you where we eat?

   Collocations

   phrase to me, seem to someone, matter to someone, mean a lot to someone

7. behavior towardin the way that someone treats someone else

   • Be kind to your little sister.
   • She was very rude to the waiter.
   • They have always been good to us.

   Collocations

   adjective + preposition kind to, nice to, rude to, good to, friendly to, polite to

8. comparingcompared with, or measured against, something

   Used after prefer, similar, compared, and equal, and in scores and ratios (three to one). After prefer, both things are nouns or -ing forms.

   • I prefer walking to driving.
   • We won the game by three goals to one.
   • His house is small compared to ours.
   • Her dress is similar to mine.

   Collocations

   adjective + preposition similar to, equal to, close to

   verb + preposition prefer something to

   phrase compared to

9. with a resultwith a particular result or feeling

   • To my surprise, she said yes.
   • The glass fell and broke to pieces.
   • The film moved her to tears.
   • Much to our relief, nobody was hurt.

   Collocations

   phrase to my surprise, to someone's relief, to someone's delight, to pieces, to death

10. with musicat the same time as music or another sound, and following it

    • They danced to the music all night.
    • She likes to sing along to the radio.
    • The children marched to the beat of a drum.

    Collocations

    verb + preposition dance to, sing along to, move to

See also toward; into