11 Useful Phrasal Verbs with Through You Should Know

Hello English learners! Welcome to another useful vocabulary lesson. Today, we are going to look at 11 common phrasal verbs with through. These expressions are very useful in everyday English, and you will often hear them in conversations, films, TV series, news reports, and workplace situations. They are also helpful for exams such as B2 First or C1 Advanced, because they make your English sound more natural and fluent.

The word through often gives the idea of movement from one side to another, completion, survival, or careful examination. That is why phrasal verbs with through can have several interesting meanings.

Let’s go through them one by one.

Phrasal Verbs with Through

Here are the phrasal verbs we’ll cover in this lesson:

• break through
• come through
• cut through
• fall through
• flip through
• follow through
• get through
• go through
• live through
• look through
• run through

1. Break through

Meaning 1: to force your way through something that is blocking you

We use break through when someone or something manages to get past a barrier, crowd, or line of defence.

Examples:

• There was a huge crowd at the station, but we managed to break through.
• The protesters tried to break through the police barricades.
• Firefighters had to break through the locked door to rescue the child.

Meaning 2: to make important progress after difficulty

This meaning is often used in science, medicine, technology, and personal success.

Examples:

• Researchers hope to break through in the treatment of autoimmune diseases.
• After years of struggle, the company finally broke through in the international market.
• She worked for a long time before she finally broke through as a writer.

2. Come through

Meaning 1: to arrive, especially news, information, a message, or results

We often use come through when something we have been waiting for is finally received.

Examples:

• I’ve been waiting all morning for my test results to come through.
• The news of the earthquake has just come through.
• Your payment hasn’t come through yet.

Meaning 2: to survive or succeed in a difficult situation

This meaning is very common in spoken English.

Examples:

• She was very ill, but she came through in the end.
• We were worried about him, but he came through the operation well.
• The team was under pressure, yet they came through when it mattered most.

3. Cut through

Meaning 1: to go through a place in order to make your journey shorter

This is often used for roads, paths, forests, parks, and side streets.

Examples:

• We decided to cut through the park instead of walking around it.
• The new road cuts through the industrial area.
• If we cut through this alley, we’ll get there faster.

Meaning 2: to deal with something directly and efficiently

This meaning is often used with bureaucracy, confusion, or unnecessary complication.

Examples:

• The lawyer helped us cut through all the red tape.
• We need someone who can cut through the confusion and explain the situation clearly.
• Her direct manner helped cut through the nonsense in the meeting.

4. Fall through

Meaning: to fail to happen; to not go ahead as planned

When plans, arrangements, or deals fall through, they do not happen in the end.

Examples:

• Their plan to buy a beach house fell through because they didn’t have enough money.
• The deal fell through at the last minute.
• Our holiday plans fell through when my brother got ill.
• The wedding almost fell through because of a family argument.

This is a very useful phrasal verb because life is full of plans that fall through — rather like New Year’s resolutions after the third biscuit.

5. Flip through

Meaning: to look quickly through the pages of a book, magazine, newspaper, or similar text

This means reading or looking at something briefly, without much attention to detail.

Examples:

• I flipped through a magazine while I was waiting for the dentist.
• She flipped through the recipe book looking for something easy to make.
• He sat on the sofa, flipping through the Sunday papers.
• I only had time to flip through the report before the meeting.

6. Follow through

Meaning 1: to continue doing something until it is completed successfully

If you follow through, you do what is necessary to finish what you started.

Examples:

• It’s not enough to have a good idea; you need to follow through.
• She promised to change her habits, and this time she actually followed through.
• Many people start courses with enthusiasm but don’t follow through.

Meaning 2: follow through with something

This means to do something you had planned, intended, or promised to do.

Examples:

• Sean decided to follow through with his plan to study music.
• They encouraged her to follow through with the complaint.
• I’m glad you followed through with your decision.

This is a very useful expression in professional and personal contexts because it suggests commitment, reliability, and action.

7. Get through

This phrasal verb has several common meanings.

Meaning 1: to finish something

Examples:

• I got through half my emails before lunch.
• She’s trying to get through all her marking this weekend.
• We still have three chapters to get through before the exam.

Meaning 2: to use a large amount of something

Examples:

• They get through a lot of coffee in that office.
• We got through two loaves of bread over the weekend.
• This old car gets through a lot of petrol.

Meaning 3: to reach someone by phone or communication

Examples:

• I tried to call all morning, but I couldn’t get through.
• Were you able to get through to the doctor?
• It’s difficult to get through to customer service.

Meaning 4: to survive or manage a difficult experience

Examples:

• I don’t know how she got through that terrible year.
• We helped each other get through the hardest days.
• He was exhausted, but he somehow got through the exam.

8. Go through

This is another very common phrasal verb with more than one meaning.

Meaning 1: to experience something, especially something difficult or unpleasant

Examples:

• Lilian went through a terrible time after her husband died.
• They’ve gone through a lot during the war.
• She has been going through a period of stress lately.
• No child should have to go through that.

Meaning 2: to examine or search something carefully

Examples:

• I went through all the drawers and still couldn’t find my gloves.
• The police went through his bag.
• Let’s go through the documents one more time before sending them.

Meaning 3: to be officially approved or completed

Examples:

• The contract finally went through yesterday.
• Has the payment gone through yet?
• The sale won’t go through until both sides sign the papers.

9. Live through

Meaning: to experience something difficult, dangerous, or painful and survive it

This is often used for wars, disasters, illnesses, and traumatic events.

Examples:

• My grandparents lived through two wars.
• She lived through a very difficult childhood.
• Nobody who hasn’t lived through a flood can truly understand the damage it causes.
• He was lucky to live through the accident.

This phrasal verb often carries a strong emotional meaning.

10. Look through

Meaning 1: to read something quickly

This is similar to flip through, but it is slightly more focused on reading than simply turning pages.

Examples:

• Before signing, Lorna looked through the contract carefully.
• Simon looked through the exam questions one more time.
• I looked through your report and made a few notes.

Meaning 2: to search among things

Examples:

• She looked through her handbag for her keys.
• I spent an hour looking through old photos.
• He looked through the files in search of the missing document.

Meaning 3: to ignore someone and pretend not to notice them

This is a useful extra meaning many learners do not know.

Examples:

• She was so angry that she just looked through him as if he didn’t exist.
• He said hello, but she looked right through him.

11. Run through

Meaning 1: to go over something quickly

We use this when reviewing, checking, explaining, or repeating something briefly.

Examples:

• Let’s run through the main points before the presentation.
• Brian ran through the emails before leaving the office.
• We need to run through the guest list to make sure no one has been forgotten.
• The teacher ran through the instructions one final time.

Meaning 2: to spend money quickly and carelessly

Examples:

• He ran through his monthly salary in three days.
• They ran through their savings on luxury holidays.
• She inherited a fortune and ran through it in less than a year.

Meaning 3: to pass through something

This meaning is less common in everyday conversation, but you may still see it.

Example:

• A crack ran through the wall from top to bottom.

Common Patterns to Remember

Here are a few useful patterns:

• fall through = fail to happen
• get through = finish, survive, use, or make contact
• go through = experience, examine, or be approved
• follow through with = do something you planned
• look through = read quickly, search, or ignore

As you can see, one phrasal verb can have more than one meaning, so always pay attention to the context.

Quick Comparison: Flip through, Look through, and Run through

These three can be confusing, so here is a simple guide:

• flip through = look quickly at pages
• look through = read or check something quickly
• run through = review or practise something quickly

Examples:

• I flipped through a magazine in the waiting room.
• I looked through the report before the meeting.
• We ran through our presentation before going on stage.

Final Thoughts

Phrasal verbs with through are extremely useful because they appear in so many everyday situations. They can describe:

• movement through a place
• reading or checking something
• surviving difficulty
• completing a task
• dealing with problems
• plans that succeed or fail

The best way to learn them is not simply to memorise a list, but to notice them in context and practise using them in your own sentences.

Try this: choose five phrasal verbs from this lesson and write one original sentence for each. That is how you really get them to stick.

Which of these phrasal verbs do you already use, and which ones are new to you?

Download Practice Worksheet Phrasal Verbs with THROUGH in PDF here

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