⚖️ A metal weight 🔎 To explore deeply 🧱 Perfectly vertical 📏 To measure depth 💯 Completely 🎯 Exactly

to plumb

1 6.7

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

verb
/plʌm/

: comprobar la verticalidad

The mount would be plumbed to vertical and aligned very carefully with the north celestial pole.
plumb each post

Examples

You can't plumb without a license in New York City.

Duplex (2003)
We were by now on the seventh floor and had begun setting up to plumb two bathrooms for the floor above.

Fiction book (1993)
Students plumb the depths of the Pleiades star cluster with the telescope, photometer, and different filters.

Academic text (1996)
The builder used a plumb line to ensure the wall was perfectly vertical.
Make sure to plumb the post before attaching the crossbeam for stability.
To check if the frame of the door is plumb, use a level and a weight.

Synonyms

to fathom

vsto plumb

Specialized

1 8.6

To measure how deep water is using a heavy line

also checks exact vertical alignment using a hanging weight

Phrasal Verbs

to plumb the depth

7.9

To examine something carefully to find hidden details

Compounds

plumb line

Specialized

1 5.3

A string with a metal weight that shows a straight up-and-down line

plumb bob

7.0

A heavy pointed weight on a string used to show a vertical line

plumb level

Specialized

7.2

A tool with a hanging string and a bubble level to check vertical or horizontal lines

plumb rule

Specialized

7.9

A straight narrow board with a hanging weight used to check if a wall is perfectly vertical

Surface Forms

plumb infinitive

plumbed past

plumbed past participle

plumbing present participle

plumbs third person singular

Etymology

Plumb comes from the old use of a lead weight made from plumbum 'lead'. To plumb once meant to drop that lead on a rope to measure depth or check if something was straight, which is why the verb still means 'measure' or 'check exactly'.