walk-through

[wawk-throo]

noun

1. Theater, Television.

   1. a rehearsal in which physical action is combined with reading the lines of a play.

   2. a perfunctory performance of a script.

2. Television, Movies.,  a rehearsal without cameras.

3. a step-by-step demonstration of a procedure or process or a step-by-step explanation of it as a novice attempts it.

4. a pedestrian passageway or arcade through the ground floor of a building connecting one street or building with another.

adjective

1. designed to be walked through by an observer.

   The zoo has a walk-through aviary where the birds are all around you.

2. activated by a person passing through.

   a walk-through electronic scanner at the airport for detecting concealed weapons.

walk through

verb

1. (tr) to act or recite (a part) in a perfunctory manner, as at a first rehearsal

noun

1. a rehearsal of a part

Word History and Origins

Origin of walk through¹

First recorded in 1935–40; noun, adj. use of verb phrase walk through

Idioms and Phrases

Perform in a perfunctory fashion, as in She was just walking through her job, hoping to quit very soon . This idiom originally referred to practicing parts in a play at an early rehearsal. It was applied more broadly from the late 1800s. Also see go through the motions .

walk someone through . Instruct someone carefully, one step at a time, as in He was very helpful, walking me through all the steps in this complex computer program .

Related Words

• exercise 
• hone 
• prepare 
• rehearse 
• study 
• train 
• warm up 
• work 
• work out