What it means
通す attaches to the masu stem of a verb and means to continue doing something until it is completed or to carry it through despite difficulty, interruption, or resistance. It often emphasizes completing the entire action from beginning to end. The resulting expression is a compound verb, and 通す can be conjugated for tense, polarity, and politeness.
Usage note
In this grammar pattern, 通す is different from the independent transitive verb 通す, which can mean to let something pass through or to put something through. The pattern usually expresses persistence and completion, such as reading something all the way through or carrying out a plan to the end.
How to use it
彼女は難しい本を一晩で読み通します。
She will read the difficult book all the way through in one night.
彼女は難しい本を一晩で読み通す。
She will read the difficult book all the way through in one night.
Example sentences
図書館で借りた三百ページの小説を、私は週末に読み通した。
I read through the three-hundred-page novel I borrowed from the library over the weekend.
担当者は多くの反対を受けながらも、その計画を最後までやり通した。
Despite receiving a great deal of opposition, the person in charge carried out that plan to the end.