through
Americanpreposition
-
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.
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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.
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during the whole period of; throughout.
They worked through the night.
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having reached the end of; done with.
to be through one's work.
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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.
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by reason of or in consequence of.
to run away through fear.
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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.
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all the way; along the whole distance.
This train goes through to Boston.
-
throughout.
soaking wet through.
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from the beginning to the end.
to read a letter through.
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to the end.
to carry a matter through.
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to a favorable or successful conclusion.
He barely managed to pull through.
adjective
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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.
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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.
-
of no further use or value; washed-up.
Critics say he's through as a writer.
idioms
preposition
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going in or starting at one side and coming out or stopping at the other side of
a path through the wood
-
occupying or visiting several points scattered around in (an area)
-
as a result of; by means of
the thieves were captured through his vigilance
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up to and including
Monday through Friday
-
during
through the night
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at the end of; having (esp successfully) completed
-
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 capacity
as a journalist, you're through
-
(prenominal) (of a route, journey, etc) continuous or unbroken
a through train
adverb
-
through some specified thing, place, or period of time
-
thoroughly; completely
Usage
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.
Related Words
See by ( def. ).
Etymology
Origin of through
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); see thirl
Explanation
As an adjective, through means finished or done. As an adverb it can mean backward and forward, completely, up to and including, or all the way to the end. The preposition through means in and out of. Through has lots of meanings. If you finished your homework you might shout — gleefully — "I'm through!" Those people who wouldn't be quiet talked through the entire movie. The first half of the alphabet are the letters A through M. If you've memorized the multiplication table, you know the whole thing through. And, of course, you walk through a door.
Vocabulary lists containing through
"Jabberwocky" by Lewis Carroll
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Spelling Practice, Unit 1
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Spelling Practice, Unit 8
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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.
This technique allows astronomers to study starlight that passes through a planet's atmosphere while the planet moves across the face of its star from the telescope's point of view.
From Science Daily • May 22, 2026
Quarterback Matthew Stafford, the reigning NFL most valuable player, is now under contract with the Rams through the 2027 season.
From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2026
These funds are on top of the roughly $1.7 billion that Binance investigators concluded moved through Binance to that same Iranian network, as previously reported by The Wall Street Journal in February.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
Her family said she met Samarth, a lawyer based in Bhopal, through a dating app in 2024 and the two married in December 2025.
From BBC • May 21, 2026
Once I heard it, I latched on like a lifeline and started walking through the brush.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
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.
