put through
Britishverb
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to carry out to a conclusion
he put through his plan
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(also preposition) to organize the processing of
she put through his application to join the organization
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to connect by telephone
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to make (a telephone call)
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Bring to a successful conclusion, as in We put through a number of new laws . [Mid-1800s]
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Make a telephone connection, as in Please put me through to the doctor . [Late 1800s]
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Cause to undergo, especially something difficult or troublesome, as in He put me through a lot during this last year . The related expression, put someone through the wringer , means “to give someone a hard time,” as in The lawyer put the witness through the wringer . The wringer alluded to is the old-fashioned clothes wringer, in which clothes are pressed between two rollers to extract moisture. [First half of 1900s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The version of the rocket SpaceX plans to put through its paces on the next flight features numerous upgrades and engineering changes.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026
My parents faced so many hardships, their life wasn’t easy, but I can’t imagine if they had been put through what immigrants are put through today.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 5, 2026
Amidst a deafening roar, UltraServers packed with 144 of the Trainium AI-accelerator chips were being put through their paces at Annapurna in a routine check prior to delivery.
From Barron's • Feb. 27, 2026
Amir was just nine years old when he was being put through his paces at Sheffield United.
From BBC • Dec. 26, 2025
Every hour a few more were brought up and put through the same routine, until at last there were no more.
From "Copper Sun" by Sharon M. Draper
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
