Meaning & use
thru and thru
Last updated
Meanings
phrasefixed phraseinformal
In every part or respect; completely and thoroughly.
Grammar: Comes after the noun or pronoun it describes: a New Yorker thru and thru.
Patterns
- be something thru and thru
- a (noun) thru and thru
She's a country girl thru and thru and has never liked big cities.
That old car is rusty thru and thru, so don't buy it.
phrasefixed phraseinformal
In every way, from beginning to end; used to stress that something is total.
Grammar: Often follows verbs like know, soak, or freeze to show a complete state.
Patterns
- know something thru and thru
- be soaked thru and thru
I got caught in the rain and was wet thru and thru.
He knows this neighborhood thru and thru after living here for thirty years.
Common combinations
- be wet thru and thru
- My coat was wet thru and thru after the storm.
- know something thru and thru
- She knows the rules of the game thru and thru.
- a (something) thru and thru
- He's a teacher thru and thru, always explaining things.
- rotten thru and thru
- The wooden floor was rotten thru and thru.
Synonyms and how they differ
- completely
- A general adverb for 'totally'; it is neutral in register, while thru and thru is informal and more emphatic.
- thoroughly
- Focuses on careful, detailed completeness, especially of actions; thru and thru usually describes what someone or something is.
- entirely
- Means 'wholly' and is more formal; thru and thru sounds more conversational.
Opposites
Word family
- through preposition
- The standard spelling meaning 'from one side or end to the other'.
- thorough adjective
- Complete and careful, with attention to every detail.
- thoroughly adverb
- In a complete and careful way.
Commonly confused: thru and thru or through? thru and thru or throughout?
thru and thru vs through
This is the standard spelling; "thru" is a shortened, informal American form often seen on road signs and in ads.
thru and thru vs throughout
Means 'in every part of a place' or 'during the whole of a period' and needs a noun after it, as in throughout the country.
Practice
Which sentence uses "thru and thru" correctly and naturally?
Choose one answer.
"Thru and thru" describes a person or thing as completely a certain type, so "a musician thru and thru" fits. The other options use it where a simple "through" (meaning movement across or during) is needed.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “thru and thru”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.