to fathom

Examples

• All

• Rath pointed out the buildings one by one—so many buildings that I could not, without his help, have fathomed the uses for them all.

  Fiction book (1993)

• "Drizzt bit his lip, realizing that he would do well to hold his silence until he better fathomed the depth of this unexpected meeting."

  Fiction book (1992)

• Everything attempts to deliver to the public science and humans' ways of fathoming nature.

  Academic text (2005)

• What is yet impossible in fiction might be seen to be that which has yet to be fathomed, yet to be conceived.

  Academic text (1995)

• The immense nature of the cleanup and restoration that the power companies have had to deal with cannot be fathomed by any of us.

  Blog text (29)

• Whether this was intended as an expression of affection or an assault was not clear, and Clootie did not worry about it; he was too busy fathoming the depths of Odo's ignorance and stupidity.

  Fiction book (1993)

• There is some pleasure in blatant self-destruction, but shelter is a newer and deeper pleasure—one not yet fully fathomed.

  Fiction book (1999)

• The sailors were able to fathom the ocean's depth using a long rope marked in feet.

• To understand how deep the lake was, he decided to fathom it with a measuring line.

• Using a weighted line, they could fathom the depths of the mysterious underwater trench.

Synonyms

S

to sound

vsto fathom

• Specialized

195 8.4

To measure how deep water is using a line

has identical meaning but is an alternative form

P

to plumb

vsto fathom

1 6.7

To measure depth or check if something is vertical using a weight on a string

focuses only on measuring depth with a sounding line not vertical checks

Idioms

F

to fathom the depth

1 7.5

To understand how serious or important something is

Phrasal Verbs

F

to fathom why

4 7.0

To understand the reason for something that seems puzzling

Compounds

S

square fathom

• Archaic

9.1

An area the size of a square six feet on each side

Surface Forms

Etymology