fathom
Americannoun
PLURAL
fathomsPLURAL
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.
"It's been an unbelievable year for us. We still don't really fathom everything that is going on," he said.
From BBC
Meanwhile, Umar's family and neighbours are still trying to fathom what happened.
From BBC
This is rocking Britain in a way Americans may struggle to fathom if their frame of reference is U.S. public broadcasting.
He declined, but I couldn’t quite fathom how he was going to get home so late at night.
From Los Angeles Times
“It is hard to fathom McKinley’s swing from one end of the imperial spectrum to the other in less than a year,” Mr. Jackson writes.
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.
