Thru
Pronunciation
- UK IPA: /θɹuË/
- US
- Homophones: threw
Origin
American English; proposed as a phonetic and simplified spelling of through in 1839.
Full definition of thru
Preposition
- (Canada, US, informal, possibly nonstandard) Alternative spelling of through
- 1996, , , Sludge Management Savings Found Among Reeds, We wanted an overall treatment system that gave us optimum reliability and required a minimum of labor to operate - from primary clarifier thru sludge handling, …
- 2003, Fall, , Religious Liberty and Human Dignity: A Tale of Two Declarations, … to respect human rights, then failing to explicitly define thru common understanding.
- 2004, Winter, , Toward an Understanding of "Genetic Sociology" and Its Relationships to Medical Sociology and Medical Genetics in the Educational Enterprise., As the technology improves, there is a possibility to reprogram adult stem cells for therapeutic cloning without "passing it thru" the preimplantation embryo, thus negating current ethical challenges to such research.
- 2006, Winter, , Leadership in Higher Education and the Second Half of Life, Going thru a great crisis of self-analysis, especially in relation to job, school, work, students.
- 2010, Winter, , Pulling Down the Clouds: The O'odham Intellectual Tradition during the "Time of Famine", Myths and Legends of the Pimas of Arizona as received by J. William Lloyd from Comalk-Hawk-Kih (Thin Buckskin) thru the interpretation of Edward Hubert Wood.
- 2011 , Fancine N. D'Aprile , From Hell on Earth to the Foot of the Cross Chapter , If you see thru my eyes, you'd wish you weren't here, because all you will feel sadness and fear. It loneliness and sorrow if you see thru my eyes sit and talk to before you say goodbye. ... See thru my eyes and a tear you will see, I wish you could cry and cry with me.
Usage notes
Thru is mostly used where the preposition through could be used (e.g. Monday thru Friday); it is less common as an adjective or adverb (I'm thru with the vacuuming). It is less used in formal situations, except in cases where brevity is wanted such as roadway signs or date ranges.
This spelling is not used in standard British English, though it can be used as an abbreviation – similar to thro' that's still sometimes seen – and is recently becoming noticeable via American-based companies.
Through is rarely used in any spelling to indicate ranges in British English; to, till, and until are used instead.
It is often – in both American and British English – used in professional drafting (5/8″ thru hole) to save space and simplify annotation on a drawing for fabrication or construction.