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
Rachel Wells, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025
The model comes with seven flossing tips, a one-minute timer with a 30-second pacer to ensure thorough water flossing of all areas and a removable water reservoir with 90+ seconds of flossing time.
—Nora Colomer
May Earn A Commission If You Buy Through Our Referral Links. This Content Was Created By A Team That Works Independently From The Fox Newsroom., FOXNews.com, 1 May 2025
In fact, the settlement outlines a deliberate, thorough transition process designed to minimize disruption and ensure a good fit for each resident.
—Lisa Seminara, Hartford Courant, 29 Apr. 2025
Authorities in Europe pledged a thorough investigation to identify the exact causes and ensure system resilience in the future.
—Tom Rogers, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for thorough
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Adjective
Give your resume and LinkedIn profile a thorough audit (or get a resume writer or career coach to help you), and find ways to creatively include these in-demand skills within them.
—Rachel Wells, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025
The model comes with seven flossing tips, a one-minute timer with a 30-second pacer to ensure thorough water flossing of all areas and a removable water reservoir with 90+ seconds of flossing time.
—Nora Colomer
May Earn A Commission If You Buy Through Our Referral Links. This Content Was Created By A Team That Works Independently From The Fox Newsroom., FOXNews.com, 1 May 2025
In fact, the settlement outlines a deliberate, thorough transition process designed to minimize disruption and ensure a good fit for each resident.
—Lisa Seminara, Hartford Courant, 29 Apr. 2025
Authorities in Europe pledged a thorough investigation to identify the exact causes and ensure system resilience in the future.
—Tom Rogers, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Apr. 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 11 May. 2025.
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