through

Also spelled thoo and thro

US /θɹu/ UK /θɹuː/ See IPA manual

Freq #208

Meanings

1

prep
From one side or end of something to the other.

The train went through a long, dark tunnel.
2

prep
By means of; using something as a way or method.

I found the apartment through a friend.
3

adv
From the beginning to the end.

She read the whole report through before signing it.

Thesaurus

Word family

Derived forms bleed-throughbreakthroughclick-throughcut-throughdrive-throughfall-throughfeed-throughfeedthroughfloor-throughfly-throughfollow-throughhear-through

Appears in

Phrases (7)

See all

help through
to support someone in getting through a difficult period or situation

Verb + preposition/particle
sit through
to remain seated and endure something from beginning to end, especially something long or dull

Verb + preposition/particle
sail through
to complete something successfully with little difficulty

Verb + preposition/particle
shone through
emitted light that passed through an opening or material

Verb + preposition/particle
sift through
to examine a collection carefully to find useful or suitable items

Verb + preposition/particle
slice through
to pass through something with a cutting movement

Verb + preposition/particle

Idioms (5)

See all

go through the motions
to perform the required actions without real interest, effort, or belief
go through the roof
to rise very quickly to a very high level; or to become extremely angry
pay through the nose
To pay a far higher price for something than it is really worth.
through the grapevine
via informal gossip or rumor, not official channels
through thick and thin
Remaining loyal and supportive during both good times and serious difficulties.

Simplified etymology

Through comes from Old English thurh. The altered Old English form thuruh developed into thorough, and the two forms originally had the same meaning before thorough acquired its distinct adjectival sense.

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”). Cognates 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”), Albania…

*terh₂- Proto-Indo-European thrugh Middle English þurh Old English *þurhw Proto-Germanic *tr̥h₂kʷe Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Grammar & Function Words

External links

# through

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A1
**Part of speech:** prep, adv
**IPA (US):** /θɹu/
**IPA (UK):** /θɹuː/
**Frequency rank:** 208

## Meanings
1. From one side or end of something to the other.
2. By means of; using something as a way or method.
3. From the beginning to the end.

## Examples
- The train went through a long, dark tunnel.
- I found the apartment through a friend.
- She read the whole report through before signing it.

## Derived Forms
- bleed-through
- breakthrough
- click-through
- cut-through
- drive-through
- fall-through
- feed-through
- feedthrough
- floor-through
- fly-through
- follow-through
- hear-through

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *terh₂-
- Root: thrugh
- Root: þurh
- Root: *þurhw
- Root: *tr̥h₂kʷe

## 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”). Cognates 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”), Albania…

## AI Etymology
Through is 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”). In present-day use, it can mean from one side or end of something to the other, or by means of; using something as a way or method. Derived formations include bleed-through, breakthrough, click-through, cut-through, drive-through, fall-through, feed-through, feedthrough.

## Topics
- Grammar & Function Words

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