thru

[ throo ]

preposition

1. an informal, simplified spelling of through.

thru

/ θruː /

preposition

1. adverb, adjective a variant spelling of through

Example Sentences

One post on X, formerly Twitter, from late October reads: “Starbucks going from a genuinely nice place to sit and read or hang out to a high octane, clamoring production warehouse for pickup and drive thru orders is one of the hardest hospitality fumbles of all time.”

From Salon

The only wait was to get her brother a Zoom Thru wristband.

From Los Angeles Times

This feature allows guests to receive Zoom Thru wristbands, which function like an identity pass, enabling them to tap and move around the venue.

From Los Angeles Times

But it is also a model that peer cities are looking at: New York City has closed 14th Street to thru traffic.

From Slate

“I said ‘God’ and the ‘universe’ told me to stop talking about it,” he wrote. “that was thru me saying something that inevitably always caused full chaos. It wasn’t great for my life or for the progrum.”

From Los Angeles Times

Is Thru A Word?

And is thru in the dictionary?

Thru is not listed as a standard word in this dictionary, meaning that language users don’t view it as an accepted word and don’t use it regularly with a standard meaning. Instead, thru is an informal variant of through that is particularly common in the United States. 

An informal variant is a term used in informal situations but not recognized as acceptable by most language users. You wouldn’t use thru in formal or semiformal situations, but you might see it used in informal contexts or in the compound term drive-thru.

Note: Just because a word isn’t considered a standard word in the dictionary doesn’t necessarily mean it’s “not a word.” Some people may use it, and if enough people start using it regularly, it may be added to the dictionary.