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
Keith Caulfield, Billboard, 23 Feb. 2025
After a thorough makeover and the construction of seven new hotel rooms, The Viewpoint reopened in 2023.
—Marquita K. Harris, Travel + Leisure, 22 Feb. 2025
During a routine inspection after the Daytona 500, NASCAR selected Briscoe's car for thorough scrutiny at their Research & Development center.
—Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 21 Feb. 2025
But such a thorough drubbing is a big hit to the dominance that the selection committee has valued for top-line teams.
—Mark Schindler, The Athletic, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for thorough
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Adjective
Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings.
—Keith Caulfield, Billboard, 23 Feb. 2025
After a thorough makeover and the construction of seven new hotel rooms, The Viewpoint reopened in 2023.
—Marquita K. Harris, Travel + Leisure, 22 Feb. 2025
During a routine inspection after the Daytona 500, NASCAR selected Briscoe's car for thorough scrutiny at their Research & Development center.
—Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 21 Feb. 2025
But such a thorough drubbing is a big hit to the dominance that the selection committee has valued for top-line teams.
—Mark Schindler, The Athletic, 21 Feb. 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 3 Mar. 2025.
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