# through

Pronunciation: say "THROO" US /θɹu/, UK /θɹuː/

## Preposition

1. Into one side and out of the other side of a place, opening, passage or obstacle.
   - Simple: In one side and out the other side of something, such as a door, tunnel, window or crowd.
   - _The tunnel runs through the mountain._
   - _Light passed through the thin curtain._
2. By means of; by way of a person, method or medium.
   - Simple: By using something or someone, or with the help of it, as in 'I got the job through a friend'.
   - _She built the business through careful saving._
   - _Most infections spread through contact._
3. So as to move or progress within something toward its end, or partway along it, as in 'halfway through the film'.
   - Simple: Moving forward inside something toward its end, or part of the way into it, as in 'halfway through the book'.
   - _I scrolled through hundreds of listings before finding an apartment I actually liked._
   - _She's plowing through a stack of essays._
4. To and including, with everything in between; until the end of. *(Canada, US)*
   - Simple: In American English, up to and including, as in 'Monday through Friday'.
   - _Sizes six through twelve are on the lower shelf._
   - _The sale runs through the end of the month._
5. Amid or surrounded by something while moving.
   - Simple: Moving along inside something that surrounds you, like mud, air, or a crowd.
   - _They fought their way through the undergrowth._
   - _A whale glided through the dark water._
6. Used after verbs such as be, go and live to show that someone experiences or endures something, especially something hard or painful.
   - Simple: Used after words like go, live or be to say someone is having an experience, often a hard or painful one.
   - _She is going through a painful divorce and leans on her friends._
   - _After everything the family had been through that year, they finally had a quiet Thanksgiving._
7. For the whole duration of a stretch of time, from beginning to end.
   - Simple: From the start of a period of time to its end.
   - _The shop stays open through the winter._
   - _He dozed through the second act._
8. As a result of; owing to.
   - Simple: Because of, as the result of some cause or lack.
   - _The match was abandoned through bad light._
   - _She missed the exam through no fault of her own._
9. Across the whole extent of; in every part of.
   - Simple: In every part of something, all over it.
   - _Small coffee shops are scattered through the old part of town._
   - _The same theme runs all through her novels._
18. Used after verbs like 'go' and 'get' to show that something is consumed or used up.
   - Simple: Used up, in phrases like 'go through', as in 'we went through all the milk'.
   - _The team got through a case of water at halftime._
   - _I go through a notebook every month._

## Adverb

10. From beginning to end, or from where you are to the end.
   - Simple: From the beginning to the end, all the way, as in 'read it through'.
   - _Read the instructions through before you start._
   - _It's a long course, but I mean to see it through._
11. So as to overcome an obstacle or barrier and pass beyond it.
   - Simple: Past a block or barrier, as in 'the cars can't get through'.
   - _Snow blocked the pass for a week before the plows got through._
   - _Their defense held, and nobody broke through._
13. So as to pass one stage of a process and reach the next.
   - Simple: On to the next stage of a process, as in 'voted through' or 'went through to the final'.
   - _The planning application went through without objection._
   - _The council voted the new bike lanes through despite protests from shop owners._
14. From one side of something to the other, passing through its inside or an opening.
   - Simple: From one side to the other side, as in 'the bullet went right through'.
   - _The bullet passed clean through._
   - _We didn't stop in the town, just drove through._
15. All the way across or into something.
   - Simple: All the way into or across something, as in 'the dye soaks through'.
   - _Bake until the loaf is cooked through._
   - _By the time I reached the bus stop, my coat was wet through._
16. So as to make a connection or reach someone, especially by telephone, mostly after 'get' or 'put'.
   - Simple: So that you reach someone, especially when a phone call connects, as in 'I finally got through'.
   - _Hold the line, I'm putting you through._
   - _The signal is weak up here, so texts don't always get through._

## Adjective

12. Finished with something or someone; having completed it or no longer wanting anything to do with it. *(US)*
   - Simple: Finished, or done with something or someone and not wanting any more of it.
   - _Let me know when you're through with the meeting._
   - _We were through by three and went home early._
17. With a measure of progress, partway along a task or activity toward its end.
   - Simple: Part of the way along a task, as in 'halfway through'.
   - _By lunchtime we were about a third through._
   - _She's more than halfway through with the translation._
19. Going from origin to destination without a change of vehicle.
   - Simple: Describes a train, bus or flight that takes you all the way without changing to another one.
   - _There's no through service on Sundays, so you change at York._
   - _There is no through service on Sundays, so passengers have to change at the junction._
20. Extending right across something so as to come out on the far side.
   - Simple: Describes a road, bolt, or passage that goes right across from one side to the other.
   - _A through hole goes all the way, unlike a blind one._
   - _The house has a through passage from front door to garden._
21. Done for; finished, with no future in a role or a place.
   - Simple: Finished for good, with no future left, as in 'he's through in this town'.
   - _When the votes came in, everyone knew the senator was through._
   - _Don't count him out, he's not through yet._
22. Usually with 'to', having qualified for the next stage after winning a match or passing an exam. *(Commonwealth, Ireland, UK)*
   - Simple: In British English, having qualified for the next round, as in 'through to the final'.
   - _Three candidates are through to the final interview._
   - _If they draw, they're through on goal difference._

## Noun

Pronunciation: say "THRUF" /θɹʌf/

23. A stone coffin or tomb; also a large slab laid on a tomb or across a dry-stone wall to bind it. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: An old word for a stone coffin or tomb, or a long stone laid across a wall.

## Other meanings

- (adjective) In soccer, in possession of the ball beyond the last line of defense, with at most the goalkeeper to beat.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–22** — This sense comes from Middle English "thrugh," a rearranged form of "thurgh," from Old English "þurh," and ultimately from Proto-Germanic "*þurhw" and a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to pass through." It is related to Dutch "door," German "durch," and Latin "trans" ("across, through").
**Meaning 23** — Proto-Indo-European had a root meaning "to rub, turn, drill, or bore," which led to Proto-Germanic *þrūhs ("excavated trunk, trough"). This became Old English þrūh, which could mean a trough, conduit, or pipe, a box or chest, or a coffin or tomb, and then Middle English thrugh.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/through (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).