fathom

verb

Definition of fathomnext
as in to plumb
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fathom Our society was different then, in ways younger citizens might find hard to fathom. — Michael Silver, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026 The show’s popularity was something none of the three could have fathomed in its earliest days. — Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 9 Sep. 2026 Before scientists formulated their research, poets and naturalists had fathomed features of this intelligence. — Literary Hub, 20 Aug. 2026 The Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders officially have competition on the content front which is hard to even fathom. — Joe Kinsey Outkick, FOXNews.com, 21 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for fathom
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fathom
  1. plumb
  2. scale
  3. span
Verb
  • But stringing vendor APIs together in a sequential waterfall is merely plumbing.
    — Filip Popovic, Forbes.com, 30 Oct. 2026
  • All this challenges a biographer who would plumb Casey’s decades as chief executive.
    — Marc Levinson, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of plumb
Verb
  • Setting a gift cap, agreeing on spending limits with relatives or scaling back hosting are all ways households can manage holiday expenses, in line with the APA’s advice to make a financial plan and reduce spending when necessary.
    — Ashley Lynch, Charlotte Observer, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Unlike the typical, Western beauty origin story — where an entrepreneur launches a specialized startup and scales through venture capital — Fas does not have a single founder.
    — Kati Chitrakorn, Vogue, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of scale
Verb
  • This year, on Sunday, November 1, over 60,000 runners are expected to take part in the marathon, which follows a path that spans all five boroughs, starting on Staten Island and finishing in Central Park.
    — Anna Grace Lee, Vogue, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Mapping the risks The report authors created an interactive Trans-Pacific Cable Gray Zone Vulnerability Index that ranks the undersea cables considered most at risk and displays a map of their routes spanning the Pacific Ocean.
    — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of span

Browse Nearby Words

fathers (on)
fathom
fathomable
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Cite this Entry

“Fathom.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fathom. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on fathom

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about fathom

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