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to move through

to move through

80 2.1
Pass from one point to another during a journey or process
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : pasar por
  • The hikers moved through the forest, following the narrow trail.
  • move through the stages
  • move through the system
  • move through the city

So the Earth is also moving through this ether.

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Examples

  • A spreadsheet keeps data for each pile as it moves through the process.

    Academic text (1999)
  • School administrators and SWPBIS teams should be patient as they move through the stages of implementation.

    Academic text (2015)
  • And consider what happens when we move through space, like walking down the street.

  • The only way to keep in front of this thing, is to keep moving through the woods.

  • You get to watch them move through phases of life, through relationships.

  • Now it moves freely through the system.

  • Looking out, he could see the two Land Cruisers moving south through the park.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Two women and three men, all moving confidently through the press in the open square.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • The software tracks each pile and its composition as material moves through the plant.

    Academic text (1999)
  • We move through the mine, inch by inch, until we find Amon.

Synonyms

to pass
vsto move through
1.0

To move past something or someone

is specifically about passing as part of a journey or process
to cross
vsto move through
1.0

To go across something from one side to the other

is focused on continuing passage through an area as part of a route
to pass through
vsto move through
255 2.7

To travel through a place without stopping for long

is broader, covering any passage as part of a journey or process
to get over
vsto move through
100 3.3

Move across something like a river or mountain

is concerned with passage through an area as one stage of travel
to get across
vsto move through
53 1.8

Move from one side to the other, for example across a road or river

is the general movement from one area to another within a journey
to come through
vsto move through
49 3.8

To move through something from one side to the other

is about moving through a place as part of a journey or process
to cut across
vsto move through
8 3.2

To go through a place like a park to make a shorter route

is the neutral act of passing through rather than choosing a shortcut
to push one's way through
vsto move through
4 3.9

Move forward by getting past people or things blocking the way

describes ordinary passage as part of travel without forceful action
to transit
vsto move through
3 4.2

To move people or goods through a place on the way to another

is the everyday action of passing during a journey rather than formal transport
to traipse through
vsto move through
  • Informal
3 6.8

To walk slowly through a place without a clear purpose

is purposeful passage as part of a journey or process rather than casual wandering
to plough one's way through
vsto move through
  • UK
1 7.4

To move forward with difficulty through people or things with effort

is neutral about effort, focusing on regular passage during a journey
to push one's way past
vsto move through
  • Informal
5.6

Move forward through a crowd by forcing people aside with your body

is the general act of passing through without implying force
to transmigrate
vsto move through
  • Specialized
8.4

To move from one side of a tissue or blood vessel wall to the other

is the nontechnical, general idea of passing through during a journey or process

Antonyms

to stay put
  • Informal
133 2.0

Remain in the same place without moving

How Quickly

to move through
80 2.1
to pass through
255 2.7
to creep
155 2.5

Surface Forms

move through infinitive
moved through past participle
moving through present participle
moves through third person singular

Morphology

move + through

The meaning 'to pass from one side, part, or area to another' is directly and transparently derived from combining the motion verb 'move' with the preposition 'through', which signals passage across or within an area. This motion verb + preposition pattern is common cross-linguistically and follows standard compositional semantics, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Move through comes from a simple picture: one thing moves through a place, like a hiker walking through a forest or a parade going through a street. So it now means 'to pass from one side, part, or step to another', for example a proposal 'moving through' committees.