Think through means to consider something carefully and completely: a plan, a decision, its consequences. People use it when they go through every step in their mind and see in advance where problems might appear: think through the risks. A pronoun goes in the middle: think it through.
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think through + plan/decision/consequences; think it/this through; not thought through (passive)
- Before you quit your job, think through how you will pay the rent.
- The new rules clearly weren't thought through, and students are confused.
- Let's think it through together before we promise anything to the client.
What changed
First versionWe didn't think the details, so the trip was a disaster.
RevisionWe didn't think through the details, so the trip was a disaster.
It is tempting to write think the details, as if think alone could mean considering something fully. But think does not take a noun directly like this. In English, the idea of thinking something through to the end comes from the particle through: think through the details.
Think over means to consider something before you give an answer: Can I think it over and call you tomorrow? Think through means to work something out step by step, with all the consequences: We need to think through how the new system will work.
Your turn
The plan failed because nobody had ___ what would happen if it rained.
Show the answer
thought through — Nobody had considered in advance what would happen if it rained, so thought through is needed. Thought up means invented: a new idea, an excuse, a name. The problem here is not the idea but that the plan was not thought through to the end.
Describe a decision that took you a long time: a move, a job change, a big purchase. Say what exactly you thought through in advance and what it led to.
Before moving to Berlin, I thought through my budget for the first six months, so I never had to borrow money.
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