thorough

1 of 3

adjective

thor·​ough ˈthər-(ˌ)ō How to pronounce thorough (audio)
 sometimes  ˈthȯr-;
ˈthə-(ˌ)rō
1
: carried through to completion : exhaustive
a thorough search
2
a
: marked by full detail
a thorough description
b
: careful about detail : painstaking
a thorough scholar
c
: complete in all respects
thorough pleasure
d
: having full mastery (as of an art)
a thorough musician
thoroughness noun

thorough

2 of 3

preposition

archaic

thorough

3 of 3

adverb

archaic

Examples of thorough in a Sentence

Adjective … one realized that it was the restaurant's thorough and even comic Frenchness that had made it so entirely New York. Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2004
Bruce tells me to squat down and Koani sidles up, ears flattened, tail tucked away, and gives my face a thorough licking. Nicholas Evans, Daily Telegraph, 26 Sept. 1998
The job was uncharacteristically thorough for a Russian contract killing—three different types of bullets riddled Mikho's body. New Republic, 15 Dec. 1997
a thorough understanding of the rules and regulations The investigator will have to be thorough.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
The best tip to anyone wanting to apply for these programs is to be thorough, says Orens. Harrison Pierce, Travel + Leisure, 9 Mar. 2024 The month-by-month trip through 2018 is thorough to the point of monotony. Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Mar. 2024 Farber, the judge on the case, concluded that Henley had used his attorney-client privilege to evade a thorough cross-examination and criticized the district attorney’s office for failing to thoroughly investigate the case before bringing charges. Daniel Wu, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2024 Our experts agree, thorough washing in hot soapy water is far more important than sterilization. Samson McDougall, Parents, 5 Mar. 2024 Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Gary Trust, Billboard, 4 Mar. 2024 By conducting thorough risk assessments, engineers can anticipate potential challenges and implement appropriate mitigation strategies even more important for low TRL technologies. Rosalba Carandente, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 The head of the brush is densely packed with over 5,000 soft or medium bristles to ensure your gums are getting a thorough cleaning. Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 29 Feb. 2024 The Prime Minister acknowledged the severity of such accusations and welcomed a thorough inquiry to clear his name. Zenger News, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'thorough.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Preposition, Adjective, and Adverb

Middle English thorow, from Old English thurh, thuruh, preposition & adverb

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Preposition

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Adverb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of thorough was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near thorough

Cite this Entry

“Thorough.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thorough. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

thorough

adjective
thor·​ough
ˈthər-ō,
ˈthə-rō
1
: marked by or carried out to completion : exhaustive
a thorough search
2
: careful about detail
a thorough worker
thoroughly adverb
thoroughness noun
Etymology

Adjective

Middle English thorow "thorough," from Old English thuruh, thurh "through" — related to thrill, through see Word History at thrill

More from Merriam-Webster on thorough

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