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For vs Towards - What's the difference?

for | towards |

In obsolete terms the difference between for and towards

is that for is indicating that in prevention of which, or through fear of which, anything is done while towards is near; at hand; in state of preparation; toward.

As prepositions the difference between for and towards

is that for is towards while towards is variant of toward.

As a conjunction for

is because.

As an initialism FOR

is field Of Research.

As an adverb towards is

in the direction of something (indicated by context).

As an adjective towards is

near; at hand; in state of preparation; toward.

for

English

(wikipedia for)

Conjunction

(English Conjunctions)
  • Because.
  • * 1900 , , (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz) , Chapter 23
    • "By means of the Golden Cap I shall command the Winged Monkeys to carry you to the gates of the Emerald City," said Glinda, "for it would be a shame to deprive the people of so wonderful a ruler."

    Preposition

    (English prepositions)
  • Towards.
    • The astronauts headed for the moon.
  • Directed at, intended to belong to.
    • I have something for you.
  • Supporting (opposite of against ).
    • All those for the motion raise your hands.
  • Because of.
    • He wouldn't apologize; and just for that, she refused to help him.
    (UK usage) He looks better for having lost weight.
    She was the worse for drink.
  • * Shakespeare
    • with fiery eyes sparkling for very wrath
  • Over a period of time.
    • They fought for days over a silly pencil.
  • * Garth
    • To guide the sun's bright chariot for a day.
  • Throughout an extent of space.
  • * Shakespeare
    • For many miles about / There's scarce a bush.
  • On behalf of.
    • I will stand in for him.
  • Instead of, or in place of.
  • * Bible, Exodus xxi. 23, 24
    • And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for' life, eye '''for''' eye, tooth '''for''' tooth, hand '''for''' hand, foot ' for foot.
  • In order to obtain or acquire.
    • I am aiming for completion by the end of business Thursday.
    He's going for his doctorate.
    Do you want to go for coffee?
    People all over Greece looked to Delphi for answers.
    Can you go to the store for some eggs?
    I'm saving up for a car.
    Don't wait for an answer.
    What did he ask you for ?
  • * Denham
    • He writes not for' money, nor ' for praise.
  • In the direction of:
    • Run for the hills!
    He was headed for the door when he remembered.
  • * Francis Bacon
    • We sailed from Peru for China and Japan.
  • By the standards of, usually with the implication of those standards being lower than one might otherwise expect.
    • Fair for its day.
    She's spry for an old lady.
  • Despite, in spite of.
  • * 1892 August 6, , "The Unbidden Guest", in All the Year Round , ] [http://books.google.com/books?id=XNwRAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA133&dq=%22but+for%22 page 133,
    • Mr. Joseph Blenkinshaw was perhaps not worth quite so much as was reported; but for all that he was a very wealthy man
  • * 1968 , J. J. Scarisbrick, Henry VIII (page 240)
    • For all his faults, there had been something lofty and great about him - as a judge, as a patron of education, as a builder, as an international figure.
    • For that to happen now is incredibly unlikely.'' (=''It is incredibly unlikely that that will happen now. )
    All I want is for you to be happy.'' (=''All I want is that you be happy. )
  • (chiefly, US) Out of;
  • (cricket) (used as part of a score to indicate the number of wickets that have fallen)
  • Indicating that in the character of or as being which anything is regarded or treated; to be, or as being.
  • * Cowley
    • We take a falling meteor for a star.
  • * John Locke
    • If a man can be fully assured of anything for' a truth, without having examined, what is there that he may not embrace ' for true?
  • * Dryden
    • Most of our ingenious young men take up some cry'd-up English poet for their model.
  • * Philips
    • But let her go for an ungrateful woman.
  • See the entry for the phrasal verb.
  • (obsolete) Indicating that in prevention of which, or through fear of which, anything is done.
  • * Beaumont and Fletcher
    • We'll have a bib, for spoiling of thy doublet.

    Antonyms

    * against

    Derived terms

    * for good * for good and all * for good measure * for it * for kicks * for real * for the record * once and for all

    Statistics

    *

    References

    * Andrea Tyler and Vyvyan Evans, "Spatial particles of orientation", in The Semantics of English Prepositions: Spatial Scenes, Embodied Meaning and Cognition , Cambridge University Press, 2003, 0-521-81430 8

    Anagrams

    * 100 English basic words 1000 English basic words English coordinating conjunctions ----

    towards

    English

    Preposition

    (en-prep) (mainly in British English )
  • Variant of toward.
  • * 1835 , Sir , Sir (James Clark Ross), Narrative of a Second Voyage in Search of a North-west Passage …, Volume 1 , pp.284-5
    • Towards the following morning, the thermometer fell to 5°; and at daylight, there was not an atom of water to be seen in any direction.
  • * {{quote-news, year=2011, date=October 1, author=Phil McNulty, work=BBC Sport
    • , title= Everton 0-2 Liverpool , passage=But with Goodison Park openly directing its full hostility towards Atkinson, Liverpool went ahead when Carroll turned in his first Premier League goal of the season after 70 minutes.}}

    Synonyms

    * toward

    Usage notes

    * Although some have tried to discern a semantic distinction between the words (term) and (towards), the difference is merely dialectal. (term) is the most common form, while (toward) tends to appear only in American English.

    See also

    * See

    Adverb

    (en adverb)
  • (obsolete) In the direction of something (indicated by context).
  • * 1590 , Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene , II.iv:
    • Thus as he spake, lo far away they spyde / A varlet running towards hastily [...].

    Adjective

    (-)
  • (obsolete) Near; at hand; in state of preparation; toward.
  • * Shakespeare
    • We have a trifling foolish banquet / Towards .

    Statistics

    * English prepositions