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
-
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
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.
"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
The idea of leaving this place behind is something he can’t fathom.
From Los Angeles Times
It’s hard to fathom the Tigers prevailing in a bidding war against a foe like the Dodgers or New York Yankees.
Ken Ono’s career as one of the world’s most prominent mathematicians has taken him to Hollywood and the Olympics, places that he never could have fathomed.
The unprecedented nerve agent poisonings of 2018 on British soil left their mark on those whose job it was to fathom what had happened.
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.
