preposition

towards

TORDZ/tɔːrdz/

In the direction of a destination.

An older man walks towards a bench in the park.

An older man walks towards an isolated park bench, shown mid-stride with his body and feet directed at the bench and a clear gap remaining before he reaches it.

Etymology

toOld Englishto

+wardOld Englishfacing or moving toward

+sOld Englishadverbial genitive ending

The combination of to and -ward described something coming, facing, or approaching. With an old adverbial -s ending, it came to express the direction in which someone or something moves or faces.

In context

SOAS University of London26:05

… the centripetal forces come into play pulling things back towards the center …

SOAS Africa Conference 2017 ‘New visions, new images, new stories’, SOAS University of London

More examples

She turns towards the door when she hears a knock.
The road curves towards the river.
We head towards home before sunset.

Similar words

toward: Means the same thing and is more common in American English.
to: Usually marks an endpoint, rather than just a direction.