as in plumbing
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 fathoming
However, Chiefs veteran center Creed Humphrey says his team won't be listening to those, or even fathoming the thought of panicking.
—
Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 18 Nov. 2025
Advertisement Svetlana’s optimistic pretend normalcy and Lyudmila’s practical approach to medication point to impossibility of fathoming the many crushing consequences of the Ukraine crisis.
—Nina Khrushcheva, Time, 3 Oct. 2025
Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 18 Nov. 2025
Advertisement Svetlana’s optimistic pretend normalcy and Lyudmila’s practical approach to medication point to impossibility of fathoming the many crushing consequences of the Ukraine crisis.
—Nina Khrushcheva, Time, 3 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fathoming
Verb
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The company will also conduct building-wide HVAC repairs and plumbing upgrades by the end of March.—
Ilana Arougheti,
Kansas City Star,
30 Jan. 2026
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Unfortunately, the fire caused smoke, electrical and plumbing damage that will need to be repaired before students and staff can return, according to Adams 12 Five Star Schools.—
Jennifer McRae,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The blueprint involves scaling back to a monthly publication and implementing a hybrid business model where the Reader reverts to a for-profit newspaper, backed by philanthropic support.—
Robert Channick,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Jan. 2026
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Forbes has compiled a list of 20 big private equity zombies—businesses that are either scaling back or simply treading water.—
Danielle Chemtob,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fathoming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fathoming. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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