Definition

Adverb 1. Completely, thoroughly, in every part or aspect: Describes something that is absolute, total, or pervasive, affecting the whole of a person or thing. 2. Repeatedly, from beginning to end: Describes doing something over the entire duration or sequence, often multiple times.

Usage

The phrase "through and through" is used to add strong emphasis. It typically follows an adjective or verb to indicate that a quality, state, or action is absolute and complete.

Examples

• Emphasizing a complete state:

  • After walking in the storm, I was wet through and through.
  • He is a professional through and through; he never cuts corners.
  • The wooden planks were rotten through and through and couldn't be saved.

• Emphasizing thorough knowledge or examination:

  • She knew the old poem through and through and could recite it from memory.
  • The detective looked at the suspect through and through, searching for any sign of deception.

Advanced Usage

• "A [noun] through and through": A common structure to describe someone who embodies a particular characteristic or identity completely.
  • He's a New Yorker through and through, even though he's lived abroad for years.
  • She is an artist through and through; she sees beauty in everything.

Variants and Related Words

• Through (adverb, preposition, adjective): Can be used alone to mean "in one side and out the other," "finished," or "during the whole period." "Through and through" intensifies this meaning.
  • The nail went through the board.
  • Are you through with your homework?
  • We worked through the night.

Synonyms

• Completely
• Thoroughly
• Absolutely
• Utterly
• Downright

Related Phrases

• Through and through can function as an adverbial phrase modifying verbs or adjectives. It is not typically used as a phrasal verb with separable parts.

Related Idioms

• Know someone/something through and through: To know someone or something perfectly and completely.
  • They've been friends for 30 years; they know each other through and through.
• Shot through with: (A related structure) Pervaded or filled with a particular quality.
  • Her speech was shot through with a deep sense of optimism.

Adverb

1. throughout the entire extent
   • got soaked through in the rain
   • I'm frozen through
   • a letter shot through with the writer's personality
   • knew him through and through
   • boards rotten through and through