fathom
a unit of length equal to six feet (1.8 meters): used chiefly in nautical measurements. Abbreviation: fath
to measure the depth of by means of a sounding line; sound.
to penetrate to the truth of; comprehend; understand: to fathom someone's motives.
Origin of fathom
1Other words from fathom
- fath·om·a·ble, adjective
- fath·om·er, noun
- un·fath·om·a·ble, adjective
- un·fath·omed, adjective
Words Nearby fathom
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use fathom in a sentence
Prior to 3BLACKDOT, Frey was the founder and CEO of Full fathom Five, a publishing company that has collaborated with game developers such as Glu Mobile and Niantic, where he helped develop IP alongside games.
Prominent esports organization Andbox hires James Frey as CEO to lead a push into the entertainment world | Alexander Lee | January 11, 2022 | DigidayPerhaps, instead, they had reached a desperation we can't quite fathom.
The celebrity of Li is hard to fathom in terms that American fans—tennis savvy or not—can fully comprehend.
Tennis Star Li Na Says Goodbye to the Court…and Puts the Sport’s Rise in Asia in Question | Nicholas McCarvel | September 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAs a powerful woman she presents problems for men trying to fathom her.
Murdoch on the Rocks: How a Lone Reporter Revealed the Mogul's Tabloid Terror Machine | Clive Irving | August 25, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTNow, my daughter is older and I can barely fathom that she is a teenager.
Now another monologue, also spoken by a woman who has experienced more than most can fathom, has left me entranced and devastated.
There were to be many things yet which Felipe could not fathom in this lovely, sorrowing, sunny sister of his.
Ramona | Helen Hunt JacksonThis is some passing whim of your wife, due to some cause or causes which you and I needn't try to fathom.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories | Kate ChopinThere is no protection there for the ships against submarines except Enos harbour and Enos is only one fathom deep.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I | Ian HamiltonFrom the portress Cibot to the Marquise d'Espard, not one of his women has an evil thought that he does not fathom.
Repertory Of The Comedie Humaine, Complete, A -- Z | Anatole Cerfberr and Jules Franois ChristopheMaud Barrington's eyes were grateful, but there was something that Winston could not fathom behind her smile.
Winston of the Prairie | Harold Bindloss
British Dictionary definitions for fathom
/ (ˈfæðəm) /
a unit of length equal to six feet (1.829 metres), used to measure depths of water
mining a unit of volume usually equal to six cubic feet, used in measuring ore bodies
forestry a unit of volume equal to six cubic feet, used for measuring timber
to measure the depth of, esp with a sounding line; sound
to penetrate (a mystery, problem, etc); discover the meaning of
Origin of fathom
1Derived forms of fathom
- fathomable, adjective
- fathomer, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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