plumb

¹ American  

[pluhm] / plʌm /

noun

1. a small mass of lead or other heavy material, as that suspended by a line and used to measure the depth of water or to ascertain a vertical line.

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adjective

1. true according to a plumb line perpendicular.

   Synonyms:

   square, straight, vertical

2. Informal. downright or absolute.

adverb

1. in a perpendicular or vertical direction.

2. exactly, precisely, or directly.

3. Informal. completely or absolutely.

   She was plumb mad. You're plumb right.

verb (used with object)

1. to test or adjust by a plumb line.

2. to make vertical.

3. Shipbuilding. horn.

4. to sound with or as with a plumb line.

5. to measure (depth) by sounding.

6. to examine closely in order to discover or understand.

   to plumb someone's thoughts.

7. to seal with lead.

8. to weight with lead.

9. to provide (a house, building, apartment, etc.) with plumbing.

verb (used without object)

1. to work as a plumber.

idioms

1. out of / off plumb, not corresponding to the perpendicular; out of true.

Plumb ² American  

[pluhm] / plʌm /

noun

1. J(ohn) H(arold), 1911–2001, British historian.

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plumb British  

/ plʌm /

noun

1. a weight, usually of lead, suspended at the end of a line and used to determine water depth or verticality

2. the perpendicular position of a freely suspended plumb line (esp in the phrases out of plumb, off plumb )

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adjective

1. informal (prenominal) (intensifier)

   a plumb nuisance

adverb

1. in a vertical or perpendicular line

2. informal (intensifier)

   plumb stupid

3. informal exactly; precisely (also in the phrase plumb on )

verb

1. to test the alignment of or adjust to the vertical with a plumb line

2. (tr) to undergo or experience (the worst extremes of misery, sadness, etc)

   to plumb the depths of despair

3. (tr) to understand or master (something obscure)

   to plumb a mystery

4. to connect or join (a device such as a tap) to a water pipe or drainage system

Other Word Forms

• plumbable adjective
• plumbless adjective
• plumbness noun
• replumb verb (used with object)
• unplumb adjective

Etymology

Origin of plumb

1250–1300; Middle English plumbe, probably < Anglo-French *plombe < Vulgar Latin *plumba, for Latin plumbum lead

Example Sentences

At the rental homes he bought, he did most of the plumbing, electrical work and carpentry himself.

From The Wall Street Journal

Or maybe we’ll plumb new depths of dysfunction in the coming year.

From Salon

Markets may eventually catch on—but only if they stop looking for a bazooka and start paying attention to the plumbing.

From Barron's

Daryel Estrada, a plumbing student at Worcester Tech, wants to study business management at community college so he can open his own plumbing practice.

From The Wall Street Journal

The glitchy Permian plumbing is forcing producers to drill through zones of high pressure, fortify their wells with additional strings of casing, and use protective coating against corrosive saltwater.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• delve
• explore
• fathom
• penetrate
• unravel