through
UK /θɹuː/ · US /θɹu/ preposition, adjective, adverb, noun
Forms throughs thru thro' thorough thoo thorow throughe thrue thurrow
- preposition So as to enter (something), pass within or across, and then leave. “I drove through Lausanne on my way from Geneva to Zurich.”
- preposition So as to progress within (something) or towards the end or limit of (something). “The virus broke out in the capital city and is now spreading quickly through the country.”
- preposition From one side of (an opening) to the other. “Go straight ahead and through that door.”
- preposition To or beyond the other side of (an obstacle); past. “I hope to start in the autumn, but I've got to get through the interview first.”
- preposition (in phrases such as 'go through', 'get through' etc.) Indicating that something has been consumed or used up. “Have you got through all those chocolates already?!”
- preposition Along the course of; used in expressions of progress towards the end of something. “We're halfway through the year.”
- preposition Throughout the duration of. “He worked through the night.”
- preposition By way of (a physical passage). “The hot water enters through this pipe.”
- adjective Passing from one side of something to the other. “Interstate highways form a nationwide system of through roads.”
- adjective (chiefly US) Finished; complete. “They were through with laying the subroof by noon.”
- adjective Along the course of a task etc.; used in expressions of progress towards the end. “It's a big job but we're halfway through.”
- adjective Without a future; done for. “After being implicated in the scandal, he was through as an executive in financial services.”
- adjective No longer interested; wearied or turned off by experience. “She was through with him.”
- adjective Proceeding from origin to destination without the need to change transport vehicle. “The through flight through Memphis was the fastest.”
- adjective Connected (to someone) by telephone. “You're through to the doctor now.”
- adjective (soccer) In possession of the ball beyond the last line of defence but not necessarily the goalkeeper; through on goal.
- adverb By way of the interior. “The arrow went straight through.”
- adverb By way of an opening. “I opened the window and climbed through.”
- adverb So as to overcome an obstacle and pass beyond it; past. “The road is blocked by an overturned truck, and cars can't pass through.”
- adverb So as to pass a stage in a process and proceed to the next stage or level. “The bill will be tabled tomorrow, but I doubt that it will be voted through.”
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English thrugh, thruch, thruh, metathetic variants of thurgh, thurh, from Old English þurh, from Proto-Germanic *þurhw (“through”), from Proto-Indo-European *tr̥h₂kʷe, suffixed zero-grade from *terh₂- (“to pass through”) + *-kʷe (“and”).
Cognate with North Frisian döör (“through”), Saterland Frisian truch (“through”), West Frisian troch (“through”), Dutch door (“through”), German durch (“through”), Luxembourgish duerch (“through”), West Flemish deur (“through”), Yiddish דורך (durkh, “through”), Gothic 𐌸𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌷 (þairh, “through”), Latin trans (“across, over, through”), Albanian tërthor (“through, around”), Welsh tra (“through”). See also thorough.
From Middle English thrugh, þrouȝ, throgh, from Old English þrūh (“trough, conduit, pipe; box, chest; coffin, tomb”), from Proto-Germanic *þrūhs (“hollowed-out wood”), from Proto-Indo-European *terh₃u- (“to rub, turn, drill, bore”). Not directly related with German Truhe (“chest”), which belongs to the root of English trough. However, these two Germanic roots seem to have influenced each other early on.
Webster’s 1913
- preposition From end to end of, or from side to side of; from one surface or limit of, to the opposite; into and out of at the opposite, or at another, point; as, to bore through a piece of timber, or through a board; a ball passes through the side of a ship.
- preposition Between the sides or walls of; within; as, to pass through a door; to go through an avenue.
- adverb From one end or side to the other; as, to pierce a thing through.
- adverb From beginning to end; as, to read a letter through.
Etymology [OE. thurgh, , , , AS. ; akin to OS. thurh, thuru, OFries. thruch, D. door, OHG. durh, duruh, G. durch, Goth. ; cf. Ir. tri, tre, W. trwy. *53. Cf. Nostril, Thorough, Thrill.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “through”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details