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  • run-through
    run-through
    noun
    the performing of a sequence of designated actions, especially as a trial prior to actual performance; rehearsal; practice.
  • run through
    run through
    verb
    (tr, adverb) to transfix with a sword or other weapon
Synonyms

run-through

American  
[ruhn-throo] / ˈrʌnˌθru /

noun

  • run-throughs
    plural
  1. the performing of a sequence of designated actions, especially as a trial prior to actual performance; rehearsal; practice.

  2. a quick outline or review.

    a run-through of his medical history.


adjective

  1. (of a freight train) made up of cars for a single destination, usually routed so as to avoid congested areas and stopping only for a change of crew.

run through British  

verb

  1. (tr, adverb) to transfix with a sword or other weapon

  2. (intr, preposition) to exhaust (money) by wasteful spending; squander

  3. (intr, preposition) to practise or rehearse

    let's run through the plan

  4. (intr, preposition) to examine hastily

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. a practice or rehearsal

  2. a brief survey

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
run through Idioms  
  1. Pierce, as in The soldier was run through by a bayonet . [c. 1400]

  2. Use up quickly, as in She ran through her allowance in no time . [c. 1600]

  3. Practice, review or rehearse quickly, as in Let's run through the first movement again , or The crew ran through the rescue procedures , or The attorney ran through the defense witness's testimony . [Mid-1400s]


Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of run-through

First recorded in 1920–25; noun use of verb phrase run through

Vocabulary lists containing run-through

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.

See Examples For:

"Take that to the bank," whispers Henson after a the first run-through.

From BBC Jun. 13, 2026

The mishaps during a run-through that the US space agency calls a "wet dress rehearsal" dashed hopes that the mission around the Moon could launch as soon as Sunday.

From Barron's Feb. 3, 2026

We’ve done a run-through or two, and it’s exhausting.

From The Wall Street Journal Nov. 17, 2025

First, though: one final run-through of the show with the dancers she’s recruited to complement her own movement, which she describes as “quite wild and difficult to corral.”

From Los Angeles Times Oct. 2, 2025

Tomorrow is dress rehearsals; Saturday morning is reserved for a light run-through before the show, which starts promptly at seven p.m.

From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy

It's a bigger number than usual and I wanted to quickly run through all of them.

From BBC Sep. 17, 2026

He has insisted that his path to Cooperstown would run through Anaheim and only Anaheim.

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 2, 2026

Where Hampton has really stood out, though, is with his ability — in the words of the iconic Marshawn Lynch — to run through faces.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 24, 2026

Transactions run through intermediaries who are often children or relatives of Revolutionary Guard or Intelligence Ministry figures, he adds.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 21, 2026

Just the thought of his run through their yard made his heart beat fast, remembering fear and pride.

From "Among the Hidden" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

He said the cast had been attending the run-throughs despite poor weather, showing "that great Bradford resilience".

From BBC Jan. 10, 2025

Democratic operative Philippe Reines, a longtime Hillary Clinton aide, portrayed Trump in the run-throughs.

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 10, 2024

In run-throughs, Gaga said, “He called me ‘sweetheart.’

From New York Times Jul. 21, 2023

And the band is in Studio B, and we get a couple of run-throughs there, and I’m waiting, and it comes through the talkback.

From Washington Post Mar. 3, 2023

Each segment requires several run-throughs before it is smooth enough to be filmed.

From 100 New Yorkers of the 1970s by Max Millard

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