Phrasal verb
be onto
Definition
phrasal verb. to discover something important or find out that someone is doing something secret or wrong.
phrasal verb. to be in the process of discovering a significant truth, or to have evidence of someone's illicit or hidden activities.
Examples
“The police are onto the thief's plan.”
“I think the researchers are onto a major breakthrough with this new medicine.”
“The investigative journalist realized she was onto something big when the CEO refused to answer her questions regarding the offshore accounts.”
Examples
simple
“The police are onto the thief's plan.”
contextual
“I think the researchers are onto a major breakthrough with this new medicine.”
complex
“The investigative journalist realized she was onto something big when the CEO refused to answer her questions regarding the offshore accounts.”
Usage
usually followed by a person (the suspect) or a noun like 'something' or 'a discovery'.
Teaching tip
distinguish between the literal 'on to' (movement) and the idiomatic 'be onto' (discovery); the latter is often used with 'something' to mean a good idea is forming.
Pitfall
He is on to a secret.
He is onto a secret.
while 'on to' is sometimes used, 'onto' as one word is the standard form for this idiomatic meaning of discovery.
Phrasal verb
Particles
onto
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
be + onto + object
Synonyms
Antonyms
Grammar
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/be-onto