through
Preposition:
- From one side or end to the other: Indicates movement into one side of something and out the other side.
- By means of; because of: Indicates the agent, means, or cause.
- During the whole period of: Indicates a period from start to finish.
Adverb:
- From one side or end to the other: To move in one side and out the other.
- Throughout; completely: To a full degree or extent.
- To the end: To completion or conclusion.
- Over a connected route: All the way to a destination.
Adjective:
- Allowing continuous passage: Describes a route, vehicle, or ticket that goes directly to a destination without requiring changes.
- Finished; completed: Having reached an end or conclusion.
Preposition:
- We drove through the tunnel. (Movement from one end to the other.)
- He succeeded through hard work. (Indicating means or cause.)
- She worked through the night. (Indicating duration from start to finish.)
Adverb:
- The bullet went through. (Movement in and out.)
- She was soaked through. (Completely, to the fullest extent.)
- Please read the document through. (To the end, completely.)
- Does this train go through to London? (All the way to a destination.)
Adjective:
- This is a through train to Edinburgh. (Going directly without changes.)
- Are you through with your homework? (Finished with it.)
"through and through": Completely, in every aspect.
- He is a professional through and through. (He is completely professional.)
"to be through with (someone/something)": To have finished with or to have ended a relationship with.
- I am through with his excuses. (I will no longer tolerate them.)
"to see something through": To continue with a task until it is completed.
- It's a difficult project, but we must see it through. (We must complete it.)
Throughout (preposition/adverb): In every part of; during the whole time of.
- The news spread throughout the city. (In every part of the city.)
Breakthrough (noun): A sudden, important development or achievement.
- Scientists announced a major breakthrough. (An important discovery.)
Go-through (noun, informal): A difficult experience.
- The divorce was a terrible go-through for her. (A difficult ordeal.)
- Via (preposition): By way of; traveling through.
- Finished (adjective): Completed, done.
- Completely (adverb): Totally, entirely.
Get through: To succeed in communicating with someone by phone; to finish or survive something.
- I finally got through to customer service. (I succeeded in connecting by phone.)
- It was hard, but we got through the winter. (We survived it.)
Fall through: To fail to happen; to collapse.
- Our plans for the weekend fell through. (They failed to happen.)
Pull through: To recover from a serious illness or difficulty.
- The doctors think she will pull through. (She will recover.)
Through thick and thin: Under all circumstances, no matter how difficult.
- They have stayed friends through thick and thin. (Through good times and bad.)
A means to an end: Something done only to achieve a result, where "through" can imply the method.
- He saw the job as a means to an end, a way to get through university. (A method to achieve his goal.)
- (of a route or journey etc.) continuing without requiring stops or changes
- a through street
- a through bus
- through traffic
- having finished or arrived at completion
- certain to make history before he's done
- it's a done deed
- after the treatment, the patient is through except for follow-up
- almost through with his studies
- 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
- in diameter
- this cylinder measures 15 inches through
- to completion
- think this through very carefully!
- over the whole distance
- this bus goes through to New York
- from beginning to end
- read this book through