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to plumb the depth

to plumb the depth

7.9
To examine something carefully to find hidden details
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : profundizar
  • Instead, it plumbs the depths of its protagonists indecisiveness and the tragic consequences thereof.

You have excavated and plumbed the depths of the narcissistic people in your lives to find those good things, to make sense of it.

Examples

  • He is anxious to plumb the depths of the packing department.

  • We'll Plumb the depths and, and discuss why people are so afraid more so than at other times.

  • You could actually thoroughly Plumb the depths of that pleasure and then say just not for me.

  • So today we are going to Plumb the depths of what's possible with pants.

  • So the, the idea of, you know, plumbing the depths of, of God's wisdom and trying to conform closer to his, his image.

  • You have excavated and plumbed the depths of the narcissistic people in your lives to find those good things, to make sense of it.

  • The scientist aimed to plumb the depth of the ocean's ecosystem to uncover undiscovered species.

  • As the journalist reported on the scandal, he needed to plumb the depths of the government’s actions to find the truth.

  • In her new book, the author seeks to plumb the depths of human emotions, revealing their complexities.

Synonyms

to look into
vsto plumb the depth
573 2.8

Examine something carefully to find out more

is a deeper investigation meant to uncover complexities and hidden aspects
to explore
vsto plumb the depth
471 2.3

To study something carefully to learn more about it

is deeper investigation aimed at understanding hidden complexities rather than general study
to get to the bottom of
vsto plumb the depth
137 3.9

Find the real reason for a problem by checking carefully

aims to understand all complexities rather than only finding a single cause
to dig into
vsto plumb the depth
  • Informal
70 3.7

To look at something carefully, often by searching under the surface

aims to reveal hidden complexities rather than only show surface facts
to delve
vsto plumb the depth
61 4.7

To look deeply into a subject to find information

is aimed at understanding complexities and hidden aspects rather than general study
to dig deep
vsto plumb the depth
43 4.4

Search carefully to find hidden facts or details

focuses on understanding complexities rather than only uncovering facts
to penetrate
vsto plumb the depth
36 6.4

Understand the true meaning or nature of something

is an active investigation to reveal complexities rather than only grasping meaning
to probe
vsto plumb the depth
  • Literature
35 5.1

To ask careful questions to find hidden information

is broader exploration to understand complexities rather than question focused inquiry
to plumb
vsto plumb the depth
7 7.4

To examine something deeply to learn more about it

is the multiword form used to stress exploring complexities
to probe deeper
vsto plumb the depth
1 4.4

To look into something more carefully to find hidden facts

is thorough investigation without the stronger sense of going further
to scratch beneath the surface
vsto plumb the depth
  • UK
1 5.7

To look below the surface to find the real reasons

is focused on exploring complex hidden aspects rather than merely seeing past appearances
to fathom the depth
vsto plumb the depth
1 7.5

To understand how serious or important something is

is the investigative act aiming to uncover complexities rather than only grasping extent
to drill into the detail
vsto plumb the depth
6.3

To look closely at the small parts of a plan or report to understand it

takes a whole complex view rather than focusing narrowly on parts

Antonyms

1.0

Choose not to pay attention to someone or something

243 2.9

To not notice someone or something you should see

How Thoroughly

to plumb the depth
7.9
to probe
  • Literature
35 5.1
to examine
868 2.5
to investigate
2.8
to look into
573 2.8

Surface Forms

plumb the depth infinitive
plumbed the depth past participle
plumbing the depth present participle
plumbs the depth third person singular

Morphology

plumb + the + depth

The verb 'plumb' (to probe or explore) combined with 'depth' (deep extent or complexity) yields the meaning 'investigate thoroughly' directly from the constituents. Although the idiom often appears as 'plumb the depths' and is somewhat literary, the metaphor of probing depth is compositional and would be predictable to a learner who knows the two words.

Etymology

The phrase plumb the depth comes from old sailors who dropped a heavy lead weight called a plumb on a line to find the sea's depth. So, the picture of sending a weight down to see how deep something is explains why today plumb the depth means 'to investigate or explore something deeply'.