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to go towards

to go towards

25 2.2
To help pay for something, often using money
  • phrasal verb
  • /ɡoʊ təˈwɔrdz/
translation icon : destinarse a
  • Healing could take place, and any proceeds could go towards the nuns.
  • goes some way toward
  • go a long way toward
  • goes far toward

As you said, all proceeds from the book go towards all the amazing work.

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Examples

  • A standard text would go a long way toward making this process more universally viable.

    Academic text (1998)
  • Every penny is going towards rent.

  • And that money should have been saved and it should have gone towards my goal.

  • So if you just pick two items off this list, that will go a huge way towards making my dreams a reality.

  • As you said, all proceeds from the book go towards all the amazing work.

  • That's a lot of time that could be going towards any of your goals.

  • Peer pressure from veterans in the group goes a long way toward shaping the band and giving it direction.

    Academic text (2010)
  • Let's just say it would go a long way toward easing my disappointment.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • Maintaining and strengthening human connections can go a long way toward easing an individual's burdens.

    Academic text (2007)
  • All the money they had went towards getting him out of prison, saying he was innocent.

Synonyms

to go
vsto go towards
4.6

To be given to a person or used for a purpose

is the same meaning but used more for amounts contributed rather than any use
to spend
vsto go towards
1.0

To give money to buy something or pay for services

is more about allocating or contributing resources for a purpose than using them up
to spend on
vsto go towards
948 1.0

To pay money for something you buy or use

is wider, including money given or set for a purpose rather than only purchases
to fund
vsto go towards
576 3.0

To give money for a particular purpose

is the intended use or contribution of money rather than the act of supplying it
to go into
vsto go towards
420 2.5

Help make or prepare something

is broader, covering both contribution and simple use for a purpose
to set aside
vsto go towards
87 3.4

Save money or time for a special purpose

is about being for a purpose or contribution rather than just held in reserve
to put into the kitty
vsto go towards
  • Informal
6.2

Give money to a shared pot to pay for something the group needs

is similar but applies more broadly than just shared or communal contributions

Antonyms

misallocation
  • Specialized
3 7.5

A situation in which money or other resources go to the wrong place

1 4.2

Not producing any useful result

Surface Forms

go towards infinitive
going towards present participle
goes towards third person singular
gone towards past participle

Morphology

go + toward

The meaning 'to be used or contributed for a particular purpose' is directly derivable from combining 'go' (be applied/spent) with 'toward' (indicating direction or purpose). This is a straightforward compositional use common in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would very likely infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

The phrase go towards shows a simple image: money or help goes in the direction towards a jar or box labeled for a project, like coins rolling to pay for school. So when we say money goes towards a project, we mean it is 'used for' that purpose.