1 B2 idiomatic informal
To read or deal with a large amount of tedious, complex, or boring material with considerable effort.
"It took me all weekend to wade through the five hundred job applications."
inseparable
wade through
B2 informal inseparable transitive
To get through a large amount of something difficult, tedious, or overwhelming, often slowly and with effort.
In plain English
To slowly read or deal with a lot of difficult or boring stuff.
What does "wade through" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B1 neutral
(Literal) To walk with difficulty through water, mud, snow, or another substance that impedes movement.
"The rescuers had to wade through knee-deep floodwater to reach the trapped family."
inseparable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To walk slowly through deep or obstructed water — extended idiomatically to any difficult, slow progress.
Actually means
To slowly read or deal with a lot of difficult or boring stuff.
Usage tip
Very commonly used when describing the effort of reading lengthy documents, dealing with bureaucracy, or processing large amounts of data. The image of struggling through water conveys the effort involved. Used in both British and American English.
Words that pair with "wade through"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
paperwork emails reports data applications files
How to conjugate "wade through"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
wade through
I/you/we/they
3rd person
wades through
he/she/it
Past simple
waded through
yesterday
Past participle
waded through
have + pp
-ing form
wading through
continuous
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