through

[ throo ]

/ θru /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR through ON THESAURUS.COM

preposition

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.

past; beyond: to go through a stop sign without stopping.

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.

over the surface of, by way of, or within the limits or medium of: to travel through a country; to fly through the air.

during the whole period of; throughout: They worked through the night.

having reached the end of; done with: to be through one's work.

to and including: from 1900 through 1950.

by the means or instrumentality of; by the way or agency of: It was through him they found out.

by reason of or in consequence of: to run away through fear.

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

in at one end, side, or surface and out at the other: to push a needle through; just passing through.

all the way; along the whole distance: This train goes through to Boston.

throughout: soaking wet through.

from the beginning to the end: to read a letter through.

to the end: to carry a matter through.

to a favorable or successful conclusion: He barely managed to pull through.

adjective

having completed an action, process, etc.; finished: Please be still until I'm through. When will you be through with school?

at the end of all relations or dealings: My sister insists she's through with selfish friends.

passing or extending from one end, side, or surface to the other: a through wound coming left to right and out the other side.

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

(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.

(of a bridge truss) having a deck or decks within the depth of the structure.Compare deck(def 16).

of no further use or value; washed-up: Critics say he's through as a writer.

Nearby words

Idioms

through and through,

through the whole extent of; thoroughly: cold through and through.
from beginning to end; in all respects: an aristocrat through and through.

Origin of through

before 900; Middle English (preposition and adv.), 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 (adj.), hole (noun). See thirl

Can be confusedthrew through

Synonym study

8. See by¹.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for through

Through his company, consumers will be able to cheaply make custom DNA strands, including what Heinz calls “creatures.”
Design Your Own Dinosaur: The Era of Custom DNA|Justin Jones|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
My dad was a sailor, and all through my childhood he was away half of the time at sea, and to an extent I have a similar job.
Belle & Sebastian Aren’t So Shy Anymore|James Joiner|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
It reminded me a bit of an alternative take on The Wolf of Wall Street—through the Toni and Candace lens.
Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness|Marlow Stern|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The Chief wounded him, and after the Chief was through, the war added its own licks.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Through my wife [McCauley is married to singer/songwriter Vanessa Carlton].
Deer Tick's John McCauley on Ten Years in Rock and Roll|James Joiner|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The dinner went on through its courses, and by degrees the red wine flew from the glasses to the faces.
Dorothy and other Italian Stories|Constance Fenimore Woolson
Oh, what a shame to take him through the streets in such a helpless condition!
Fireside Stories for Girls in Their Teens|Margaret White Eggleston
And listening, there comes up to him from the depths faintly, through the tube: "I'm uninjured, but am bound and helpless."
Miss Dividends|Archibald Clavering Gunter
Through them their master acted as the guardian of the young king and the suzerain of the kingdom.
The English Church in the Middle Ages|William Hunt
After he is elected mayor he may break his pledges to these organizations, but as soon as he does he's through.
Spring Street|James H. Richardson

British Dictionary definitions for through

through

/ (θruː) /

preposition

going in or starting at one side and coming out or stopping at the other side ofa path through the wood

occupying or visiting several points scattered around in (an area)

as a result of; by means ofthe thieves were captured through his vigilance

mainly US up to and includingMonday through Friday

duringthrough the night

at the end of; having (esp successfully) completed

through with having finished with (esp when dissatisfied with)

adjective

(postpositive) having successfully completed some specified activity

(on a telephone line) connected

(postpositive) no longer able to function successfully in some specified capacityas a journalist, you're through

(prenominal) (of a route, journey, etc) continuous or unbrokena through train

adverb

through some specified thing, place, or period of time

thoroughly; completely

Also: (informal or poetic) thro', (informal or poetic) thro, (chiefly US) thru

Word Origin for through

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

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

Word Origin and History for through

through

prep.

c.1300, metathesis of Old English þurh, from West Germanic *thurkh (cf. Old Saxon thuru, Old Frisian thruch, Middle Dutch dore, Dutch door, Old High German thuruh, German durch, Gothic þairh "through"), from PIE root *tere- "to cross over, pass through, overcome" (cf. Sanskrit tirah, Avestan taro "through, beyond," Latin trans "beyond," Old Irish tre, Welsh tra "through").

Not clearly differentiated from thorough until early Modern English. Spelling thro was common 15c.-18c. Reformed spelling thru (1917) is mainly American English.

Idioms and Phrases with through

through

In addition to the idioms beginning with through

through and through
through one's hat
through one's head
through one's mind
through rose-colored glasses
through the mill
through the motions
through thick and thin

, see

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)

through

preposition

adverb

adjective

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Nearby words

Idioms

Origin of through

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for through

through

preposition

adjective

adverb

Word Origin for through

through

through