through

[ throo ]

preposition

1. in at one end, side, or surface and out at the other:

   to pass through a tunnel; We drove through Denver without stopping. Sun came through the window.

2. past; beyond:

   to go through a stop sign without stopping.

3. from one to the other of; between or among the individual members or parts of:

   to swing through the trees; This book has passed through many hands.

4. over the surface of, by way of, or within the limits or medium of:

   to travel through a country; to fly through the air.

5. during the whole period of; throughout:

   They worked through the night.

6. having reached the end of; done with:

   to be through one's work.

7. to and including:

   from 1900 through 1950.

8. by the means or instrumentality of; by the way or agency of:

   It was through him they found out.

9. by reason of or in consequence of:

   to run away through fear.

10. in at the first step of a process, treatment, or method of handling, passing through subsequent steps or stages in order, and finished, accepted, or out of the last step or stage:

    The body of a car passes through 147 stages on the production line. The new tax bill finally got through Congress.

adverb

1. in at one end, side, or surface and out at the other:

   to push a needle through; just passing through.

2. all the way; along the whole distance:

   This train goes through to Boston.

3. throughout:

   soaking wet through.

4. from the beginning to the end:

   to read a letter through.

5. to the end:

   to carry a matter through.

6. to a favorable or successful conclusion:

   He barely managed to pull through.

adjective

1. having completed an action, process, etc.; finished:

   Please be still until I'm through. When will you be through with school?

2. at the end of all relations or dealings:

   My sister insists she's through with selfish friends.

3. passing or extending from one end, side, or surface to the other:

   a through wound coming left to right and out the other side.

4. traveling or moving to a destination without changing of trains, planes, etc.:

   a through flight.

5. (of a road, route, way, course, etc., or of a ticket, routing order, etc.) admitting continuous or direct passage; having no interruption, obstruction, or hindrance:

   a through highway; through ticket.

6. (of a bridge truss) having a deck or decks within the depth of the structure. Compare deck ( def 19 ).
7. of no further use or value; washed-up:

   Critics say he's through as a writer.

through

/ θruː /

preposition

1. going in or starting at one side and coming out or stopping at the other side of

   a path through the wood

2. occupying or visiting several points scattered around in (an area)
3. as a result of; by means of

   the thieves were captured through his vigilance

4. up to and including

   Monday through Friday

5. during

   through the night

6. at the end of; having (esp successfully) completed
7. through with
   through with having finished with (esp when dissatisfied with)

adjective

1. postpositive having successfully completed some specified activity
2. (on a telephone line) connected
3. postpositive no longer able to function successfully in some specified capacity

   as a journalist, you're through

4. prenominal (of a route, journey, etc) continuous or unbroken

   a through train

adverb

1. through some specified thing, place, or period of time
2. thoroughly; completely

Word History and Origins

Origin of through¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English (preposition and adverb), metathetic variant of thourgh, Old English thurh, cognate with German durch; akin to Old English therh, Gothic thairh “through,” Old High German derh “perforated,” Old English thyrel “full of holes” (adjective), “hole” (noun); thirl

Word History and Origins

Origin of through¹

Old English thurh; related to Old Frisian thruch, Old Saxon thuru, Old High German duruh

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. through and through,
   1. through the whole extent of; thoroughly:

      cold through and through.

   2. from beginning to end; in all respects:

      an aristocrat through and through.

More idioms and phrases containing through

• break through
• carry through
• come through
• come up (through)
• cross (pass through) one's mind
• fall between (through) the cracks
• fall through
• follow through
• get through
• get through one's head
• go through
• go through channels
• go through the motions
• go through the roof
• jump through hoops
• leaf through
• let daylight through
• let slip (through the fingers)
• lie through one's teeth
• live through
• muddle through
• pay through the nose
• pull through
• put through
• put someone through his or her paces
• rise through the ranks
• run through
• sail through
• see through
• see through rose-colored glasses
• sink through the floor
• sit out (through)
• sleep through
• squeak by (through)
• squeeze through
• talk through one's hat
• think through
• win through
• work one's way into (through)

Synonym Study

See by ( def ).

Example Sentences

Fluoride first entered an American water supply through a rather inelegant technocratic scheme.

From The Daily Beast

We see detoxing as a path to transcendence, a symbol of modern urban virtue and self-transformation through abstinence.

From The Daily Beast

The questions going through my mind are: How on earth are there Kalashnikovs and rocket launchers in the heart of Paris?

From The Daily Beast

Cold War fears could be manipulated through misleading art to attract readers to daunting material.

From The Daily Beast

It opens with Huckabee's dramatic recollection of going through security at the airport.

From The Daily Beast

Before Ripperda could unclasp his lips to reply, the stranger had opened the door, and passed through it like a gliding shadow.

From Project Gutenberg

A constant sense of easy balance should be developed through poising exercises.

From Project Gutenberg

This city stands upon almost two equal parts on each side the river that passes through.

From Project Gutenberg

Nothing remarkable occurred in our march through this country.

From Project Gutenberg

Just corporeal enough to attest humanity, yet sufficiently transparent to let the celestial origin shine through.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• over

How Do You Spell Through?

Spelling tips for through

The word through is hard to spell for two reasons. First, the word through sounds the same as the past tense verb threw, which has a more obvious spelling than through. Second, the letters -ough can be pronounced many different ways (nine, to be exact!). 

How to spell through: When you are pushing open a heavy door to go through it, you grunt “oh! ugh!” (-ough). Keeping this in mind can also help you avoid using the verb threw (the past tense of throw) by mistake.