fathoms

verb

present tense third-person singular of fathom
as in plumbs
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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for fathoms
  1. plumbs
  2. scales
Verb
  • Ophelia’s Got Talent plumbs the depths of the nineteenth-century cult of Ophelia, epitomized in John Everett Millais’s famous painting of her watery death.
    — Caroline Lillian Schopp, Artforum, 13 May 2026
  • As Latifi plumbs the industry, what stands out is just how manufactured this content is, and how often the children are being manipulated to perform.
    — Kristen Martin, The Atlantic, 13 May 2026
Definition of plumbs
Verb
  • Continue reading … REALITY SETS IN — Seattle's socialist mayor scales back on campaign promises amid public safety concerns.
    — , FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Human workload then scales with category ambiguity, not volume.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of scales
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.

Browse Nearby Words

fathomless
fathoms
fatigue
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Cite this Entry

“Fathoms.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fathoms. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

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