From Middle English thrugh, thruch, thruh, metathetic variants of thurgh, thurh, from Old English þurh, from Proto-Germanic *þurhw, from Proto-Indo-European *tr̥h₂kʷe, suffixed zero-grade from *terh₂- ("to pass through") + *-kʷe ("and").

• (RP) IPA: /θɹuː/
• (America) IPA: /θɹu/

1. From one side of an opening to the other.

   I went through the window.

2. Entering, then later leaving.

   I drove through the town at top speed without looking left or right.

   • 1892, Walter Besant, “Prologue: Who is Edmund Gray?”, in The Ivory Gate […], New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], →OCLC ↗, page 16 ↗:

     Athelstan Arundel walked home all the way, foaming and raging. […] He walked the whole way, walking through crowds, and under the noses of dray-horses, carriage-horses, and cart-horses, without taking the least notice of them.

   • 1914 November, Louis Joseph Vance, “An Outsider […]”, in Munsey's Magazine, volume LIII, number II, New York, N.Y.: The Frank A[ndrew] Munsey Company, […], published 1915, →OCLC ↗, chapter III (Accessory After the Fact), page 382 ↗, column 1:

     Turning back, then, toward the basement staircase, she began to grope her way through blinding darkness, but had taken only a few uncertain steps when, of a sudden, she stopped short and for a little stood like a stricken thing, quite motionless save that she quaked to her very marrow in the grasp of a great and enervating fear.

3. Surrounded by (while moving).

   We slogged through the mud for hours before turning back and giving up.

   • 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter I, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y., London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC ↗:

     I stumbled along through the young pines and huckleberry bushes. Pretty soon I struck into a sort of path that, I cal'lated, might lead to the road I was hunting for. It twisted and turned, and, the first thing I knew, made a sudden bend around a bunch of bayberry scrub and opened out into a big clear space like a lawn.

4. By means of.

   This team believes in winning through intimidation.

5. In consequence of; as a result of.
   • 2012, Dimitri Yanuli, You Might Be Right, but You Ain't Right with the Word of God:

     Our minds and hearts are corrupted with the Adamic virus at birth, and through a lifetime of sin and tragedy, our hearts and thoughts get more evil and more corrupted as we experience life's tragedies.

6. During a period of time; throughout

   He worked through the night.

7. (North America) To (or up to) and including, with all intermediate values.

   from 1945 through 1991;  the numbers 1 through 9;  your membership is active through March 15, 2013

• French: par, à travers
• German: durch
• Italian: attraverso
• Portuguese: pelo, pela, por, através
• Russian: че́рез
• Spanish: a través de, por

• French: à travers
• German: durch
• Portuguese: através de, pelo, pela
• Russian: че́рез
• Spanish: a través de

• French: dans
• German: durch
• Italian: per
• Portuguese: através de, por entre
• Russian: че́рез
• Spanish: por

• French: par
• German: durch
• Italian: grazie a
• Portuguese: por
• Russian: при по́мощи
• Spanish: mediante

through (not comparable)

1. Passing from one side of something to the other.

   Interstate highways form a nationwide system of through roads.

   • 1994, Don A. Halperin, G. Thomas Bible, Principles of Timber Design for Architects and Builders, page 137:

     It is possible to use a through bolt so that the bolt will be loaded axially, but usually axial loads are only components of the total load on the bolt.

2. Finished; complete.

   They were through with laying the subroof by noon.

3. Without a future; done for.

   After being implicated in the scandal, he was through as an executive in financial services.

4. No longer interested; wearied or turned off by experience.

   She was through with him.

   • 1908, W[illiam] B[lair] M[orton] Ferguson, chapter I, in Zollenstein, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC ↗:

     “I'm through with all pawn-games,” I laughed. “Come, let us have a game of lansquenet. Either I will take a farewell fall out of you or you will have your sevenfold revenge”.

5. Proceeding from origin to destination without delay due to change of equipment.

   The through flight through Memphis was the fastest.

6. (association football) In possession of the ball beyond the last line of defence but not necessarily the goalkeeper; through on goal.
   • 2015, Steve Grossi, SWFL1: Missed Chances See Swifts Relinquish Top Spot‎^{[https://web.archive.org/web/20161209023730/http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/scottish_fa_news.cfm?page=1986]}:

     With the Swifts calling for offside the striker was through and only a great save from McIlravey prevented the opener.

7. (chiefly, UK, Commonwealth, Ireland, rare in Canada) (usually followed by "to") to achieve success in an exam, competition, etc. and progress to the next stage or a higher level.

   The Toronto Raptors are through to the NBA Finals for the first time in their history.

through (not comparable)

1. From one side to the other by way of the interior.

   The arrow went straight through.

2. From one end to the other.

   Others slept; he worked straight through.

   She read the letter through.

3. Throughout something; all the way across or into.

   Leave the yarn in the dye overnight so the color soaks through.

4. To the end.

   He said he would see it through.

5. Out into the open.

   The American army broke through at Saint-Lô.

through (plural throughs)

1. A large slab of stone laid in a dry-stone wall from one side to the other; a perpend.

• Italian: attraverso
• Portuguese: através

From Middle English thrugh, þrouȝ, throgh, from Old English þrūh, from Proto-Germanic *þrūhs, from Proto-Indo-European *terh₃u-.

• IPA: /θɹʌf/, /θɹuː/

through (plural throughs)

1. (obsolete) A coffin, sarcophagus or tomb of stone; a large slab of stone laid on a tomb.