/ θruː; NAmE / preposition , adverb , adjective
■ preposition
HELP NOTE : For the special uses of through in phrasal verbs, look at the entries for the verbs. For example get through sth is in the phrasal verb section at get .
1.
from one end or side of sth/sb to the other :
The burglar got in through the window.
The bullet went straight through him.
Her knees had gone through (= made holes in) her jeans.
The sand ran through (= between) my fingers.
The path led through the trees to the river.
The doctor pushed his way through the crowd.
The Charles River flows through Boston.
2.
see, hear, etc. ~ sth to see, hear, etc. sth from the other side of an object or a substance :
I couldn't hear their conversation through the wall.
He could just make out three people through the mist.
3.
from the beginning to the end of an activity, a situation or a period of time :
The children are too young to sit through a concert.
He will not live through the night.
I'm halfway through (= reading) her second novel.
4.
past a barrier, stage or test :
Go through this gate, and you'll see the house on your left.
He drove through a red light (= passed it when he should have stopped) .
First I have to get through the exams.
The bill had a difficult passage through Parliament.
I'd never have got through it all (= a difficult situation) without you.
5.
(also informal thru ) (both NAmE ) until, and including :
We'll be in New York Tuesday through Friday.
➡ note at inclusive
6.
by means of; because of :
You can only achieve success through hard work.
It was through him (= as a result of his help) that I got the job.
The accident happened through no fault of mine.
■ adverb
HELP NOTE : For the special uses of through in phrasal verbs, look at the entries for the verbs. For example carry sth through is in the phrasal verb section at carry .
1.
from one end or side of sth to the other :
Put the coffee in the filter and let the water run through.
The tyre's flat—the nail has gone right through.
The onlookers stood aside to let the paramedics through.
The flood was too deep to drive through.
2.
from the beginning to the end of a thing or period of time :
Don't tell me how it ends—I haven't read it all the way through yet.
I expect I'll struggle through until payday.
3.
past a barrier, stage or test :
The lights were red but he drove straight through.
Our team is through to (= has reached) the semi-finals.
4.
travelling through a place without stopping or without people having to get off one train and onto another :
'Did you stop in Oxford on the way?' 'No, we drove straight through.'
This train goes straight through to York.
5.
connected by telephone :
Ask to be put through to me personally.
I tried to call you but I couldn't get through .
6.
used after an adjective to mean 'completely' :
We got wet through.
•
IDIOMS
- through and through
■ adjective
1.
[ only before noun ] through traffic travels from one side of a place to the other without stopping
2.
[ only before noun ] a through train takes you to the final place you want to get to and you do not have to get off and get on another train
3.
[ only before noun ] a through road or route is open at both ends and allows traffic to travel from one end to the other :
The village lies on a busy through road.
No through road (= the road is closed at one end) .
4.
[ not before noun ] through (with sth/sb) ( especially NAmE ) used to show that you have finished using sth or have ended a relationship with sb :
Are you through with that newspaper?
Todd and I are through.
••
WORD ORIGIN
Old English thurh (preposition and adverb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch door and German durch . The spelling change to thr- appears c. 1300, becoming standard from Caxton onwards.