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Glite Dictionary
to soak through

to soak through

6 3.1
To become completely wet all the way through
  • phrasal verb
  • /soʊk θru/
translation icon : empapar
  • The rain was so heavy that it completely soaked through my jacket, leaving me cold and wet.
  • soaked through his shirt
  • blood soaked through
  • soaked through his jacket

Examples

  • A warm wind whipped his face; rain soaked through his shirt and drowned his boots.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • I felt my shirt and jacket soaked through with sweat, but I didn't stop walking.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • Both times, the dress was soaked through, so it was transparent.

    Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)

  • By now, the damp in the floor had soaked through both her socks.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • You're soaked through to the skin.

    Nobody Waved Goodbye (1964)

  • Looking down, I saw the blood had soaked through my sock.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • It'll have actually have time to soak through the soil.

  • His uniform and long johns were soaked through, and he was shivering.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • Ignoring the freezing rain soaking through his jacket, the Bosnian began his delicate work.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • Damp mist from the Spree River clung to his face and hair and soaked through his coat.

    Fiction book (1991)

Synonyms

to soak
vsto soak through
141 1.0

Make something very wet by putting it into water or other liquid

stresses the liquid goes through to wet the interior as well
to get wet
vsto soak through
56 1.0

To become covered in water or another liquid

specifies liquid passes all the way through to wet the interior
to saturate
vsto soak through
55 5.2

Make something so full of liquid or color that it can take no more

emphasizes liquid passing fully through to wet the inside
to drench
vsto soak through
34 3.0

Make someone or something completely wet with a lot of liquid

focuses instead on the liquid passing through to the inner parts
to seep into
vsto soak through
25 3.0

To move slowly through a surface into something

differs by stressing full saturation and passing through rather than slow seepage
to douse
vsto soak through
18 4.4

To pour liquid over a person or thing to make them wet

highlights liquid moving through to wet the inside as well
to sop
vsto soak through
  • Archaic
1 8.3

To make something take in liquid until it is very wet

highlights liquid passing completely through rather than only being absorbed
to souse
vsto soak through
1 8.8

To soak something completely in liquid

is about liquid moving through fully rather than mere submersion
to waterlog
vsto soak through
3.7

To fill something with water so it cannot take any more

focuses on liquid moving all the way through the material
to dowse
vsto soak through
7.8

To pour water over something so it becomes completely wet

emphasizes liquid penetrating through rather than only pouring over
to sog
vsto soak through
7.2

To become very wet after taking in liquid

describes complete wetting through rather than only a soggy surface

Antonyms

to dry out
11 2.4

To become dry or make something no longer wet

How Wet

to saturate
55 5.2
to soak through
6 3.1
to drench
34 3.0
to moisten
7 3.0

Surface Forms

soak through infinitive
soaked through past
soaked through past participle
soaking through present participle
soaks through third person singular

Morphology

soak + through

The meaning 'to become completely wet or allow liquid to pass all the way through' is directly and compositionally built from 'soak' (to make wet) plus 'through' (completely/penetrating). The particle 'through' signals full penetration, a common and predictable pattern in English (and paralleled in many languages), so a B1 learner who knows the constituents can infer the meaning.

Etymology

Soak through shows a clear picture: liquid soaks into something and goes through it until the inside is wet all the way. So, it means 'to become completely wet' or 'to let liquid pass all the way through'.