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

But America will still need workers for all kinds of vital jobs—from health services, to plumbing and electrical repair, to building homes or working in biotech labs.

From The Wall Street Journal

More than two thirds of copper’s annual supply is used in construction—in plumbing and wiring—and manufacturing equipment-used in energy transmission cables, electric motors, and micro chips.

From Barron's

Disneyland’s struggles on opening day have long been mythologized, be it stories of weak asphalt or plumbing disasters.

From Los Angeles Times

Family homes come with leaky roofs, bad plumbing and acres of emotional attachment that can frequently obscure all practical considerations.

From MarketWatch

He figured there was something wrong with the new plumbing connections, maybe a gas leak, and he ran to the top of the street to warn people away in case of an explosion.

From Literature

Related Words

• delve
• explore
• fathom
• penetrate
• unravel