to measure the depth of (as a body of water) typically with a weighted line
the pilot had to continually fathom the river, which drought conditions had lowered to unprecedented levels
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Recent Examples of fathomSome liked to have them on hand, and others couldn’t fathom not boiling eggs themselves.—Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 14 Feb. 2026 The lowest point in Ekman-Larsson’s career made a lengthy NHL future — never mind the Olympics — hard to fathom.—Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2026 The quest to fathom the riotous diversity of nature is absorbingly told in a virtual double biography of the great taxonomist Carl Linnaeus and his contemporary, the count of Buffon.—Ian Tattersall, The New York Review of Books, 5 Feb. 2026 Paul is a 12-time All-Star and a franchise legend for the Clippers, which is why this unceremonious end was hard to fathom for fans.—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 4 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for fathom
While Intuitive Surgical’s sales to Fortinet have scaled back its holdings in Sunnyvale, the maker of a cutting-edge surgical robot has created a huge campus at the corner of Kifer Road and Commercial Street.
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George Avalos,
Mercury News,
4 Mar. 2026
In a nod to critics who worried the building would dwarf the famous dive tower, developer Mario Caprini and his team scaled back the west building’s height from the equivalent of 13 stories to six.
The 98th Academy Awards will feature 24 competitive categories spanning acting, directing, best picture, and technical achievements, including the best casting category.
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Charlie Vargas,
Oc Register,
11 Mar. 2026
The board made the decision after roughly seven hours of deliberations spanning two days, the latest dramatic turn for the nation’s second-largest school district, which has been navigating budget reductions and labor negotiations even before this week’s federal action.