thor·ough
ˈthər-(ˌ)ō 
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
archaic
: through
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.
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
Matt Von Hippel, ArsTechnica, 23 June 2025
Most vegetable gardens need 1 to 2 inches of water weekly, best delivered in deep, thorough waterings a few times a week rather than daily sprinkles.
—Karen Grossman, Southern Living, 23 June 2025
The formula provides a gorgeous lather and gives my hair and scalp a thorough cleanse without leaving my strands feeling stripped.
—Kayla Greaves, Essence, 23 June 2025
When developing a data infrastructure for healthcare, your first task is thorough planning and design.
—Salman Shahid, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for thorough
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Adjective
That improvement, and the thorough checks, persuaded ATLAS to use NSBI more broadly going forward.
—Matt Von Hippel, ArsTechnica, 23 June 2025
Most vegetable gardens need 1 to 2 inches of water weekly, best delivered in deep, thorough waterings a few times a week rather than daily sprinkles.
—Karen Grossman, Southern Living, 23 June 2025
The formula provides a gorgeous lather and gives my hair and scalp a thorough cleanse without leaving my strands feeling stripped.
—Kayla Greaves, Essence, 23 June 2025
When developing a data infrastructure for healthcare, your first task is thorough planning and design.
—Salman Shahid, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for thorough
Cite this Entry
“Thorough.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thorough. Accessed 6 Jul. 2025.
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