fathom
Americannoun
plural
fathoms,plural
fathomverb (used with object)
-
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.
noun
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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
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forestry a unit of volume equal to six cubic feet, used for measuring timber
verb
-
to measure the depth of, esp with a sounding line; sound
-
to penetrate (a mystery, problem, etc); discover the meaning of
Other Word Forms
- fathomable adjective
- fathomer noun
- unfathomable adjective
- unfathomed adjective
Etymology
Origin of fathom
First recorded before 900; Middle English fathme, Old English fæthm “span of outstretched arms”; cognate with German Faden “six-foot measure,” Old Norse fathmr; akin to Latin patēre “to stand open” ( patent )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I want to know why he's so interested in death, and he looks almost as if he can't fathom the question.
From BBC
It is "hard to fathom just how quickly Heated Rivalry took the world by storm", Radio Times said last month.
From BBC
This kind of personal wealth is hard to fathom—almost as if we are in a simulation.
Climate change is what philosopher Timothy Morton calls a hyperobject: something that so massively occupies space and time that our puny primate brains have trouble fathoming them.
From Salon
"You just wouldn't even fathom that something like this would happen," 31-year-old Mary, who is originally from the UK, tells the BBC.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
