FATHOM | Meaning In The Cambridge English Dictionary

Meaning of fathom in English fathomnoun [ C ] uk /ˈfæð.əm/ us /ˈfæð.əm/ Add to word list Add to word list a unit for measuring the depth of water, equal to 1.8 metres or 6 feet Measurements of length & distance

• centimetre
• cubit
• decimetre
• ell
• extend to something
• food miles
• ft
• league
• length
• linear
• micrometre
• millimetre
• mph
• nanometre
• pace
• reach
• square
• thick
• width
• wingspan

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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Miscellaneous units of measurement fathomverb [ T ] uk /ˈfæð.əm/ us /ˈfæð.əm/ UK to discover the meaning of something: For years people have been trying to fathom the mysteries of the whale's song.fathom something out I still haven't fathomed out how to put this bookcase together. to understand something

• understandI understand why he did that.
• comprehendHe doesn't seem to comprehend the scale of the problem.
• get the pictureOK. Don't say any more. I get the picture.
• followIt was so complicated I couldn't follow what he was saying.
• graspI think I grasped the main points of the lecture.
• digestThis chapter is so difficult to digest. I'll have to read it again later.

See more results » to understand someone or why someone acts as they do: I can't fathom her at all. Understanding and comprehending

• appreciation for something
• apprehend
• apprehensible
• apprehension
• astutely
• catch
• colour
• dot
• handle
• I feel you idiom
• incoherently
• keenness
• keep someone up phrasal verb
• know a hawk from a handsaw idiom
• take something on board idiom
• taken
• tease
• tease something apart phrasal verb
• to get a handle on something idiom
• tune

See more results » (Definition of fathom from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

fathom | American Dictionary

fathomnoun [ C ] us /ˈfæð·əm/

fathom noun [C] (MEASUREMENT)

Add to word list Add to word list a unit of measurement of the depth of water equal to 6 feet or 1.8 meters fathomverb [ T ] us /ˈfæð·əm/

fathom verb [T] (UNDERSTAND)

to discover the meaning of something: I just couldn’t fathom what he was talking about. (Definition of fathom from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of fathom

fathom An attempt is being made to salvage the helicopter, which is lying in 26 fathoms. From the Hansard archive Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0 He could not have meant two fathoms of chain. From the Hansard archive Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0 In the first half of 1938 she sent us over 20,000 piled cubic fathoms. From the Hansard archive Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0 The average depth in the harbour is about eight fathoms, but the depth in the channel leading to it is slightly less. From the Hansard archive Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0 We can catch at 600 or 700 fathoms. From the Hansard archive Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0 I am within 300 yards of a pit which is 200 fathoms deep. From the Hansard archive Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0 The depth at which it can be used is, however, limited to 35 fathoms. From the Hansard archive Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0 The figures for 1947, 1948 and 1949 were about 644,000, 544,000 and 559,000 piled cubic fathoms respectively. From the Hansard archive Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0 Up to a few hundred yards of the coast there are 30 fathoms of water. From the Hansard archive Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0 They need at least 40 fathoms for main construction, 100 fathoms for deck and module, and for tow-out a depth of 40 to 50 fathoms. From the Hansard archive Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0 I can remember the time when it was extremely difficult to go down 20 fathoms. From the Hansard archive Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0 An attempt is being made to salvage the helicopter which is lying in 26 fathoms. From the Hansard archive Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0 The depth of water must always be greater than 1,500 fathoms, and the amount disposed of in this way is very small. From the Hansard archive Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0 Well, we are dumping it so that it will descend to a depth of two and a half miles, 2,000 fathoms. From the Hansard archive Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0 Among other things, they required a towing out depth of 40 fathoms. From the Hansard archive Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0 See all examples of fathom These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors. What is the pronunciation of fathom?

Translations of fathom

in Chinese (Traditional) 英尋（測量水深單位，合1.8米或6英尺）, 弄清, 理解… See more in Chinese (Simplified) 英寻（测量水深单位，合1.8米或6英尺）, 弄清, 理解… See more in Spanish braza, entender, comprender… See more in Portuguese braça, compreender… See more in Turkish in French in Dutch in Czech in Danish in Indonesian in Thai in Vietnamese in Polish in Swedish in Malay in German in Norwegian in Ukrainian (bir şeyin iç yüzünü) kavramak, öğrenmek, anlamak… See more brasse, comprendre, pénétrer… See more vadem, doorgronden… See more sáh, pochopit… See more favn, begribe, fatte… See more fatom, memahami… See more หน่วยวัดความลึกของน้ำ (มีค่าเท่ากับ 6 ฟุต หรือ1.8 เมตร), เข้าใจ… See more sải, tìm hiểu… See more pojąć, zgłębić, sążeń (= = 1… See more famn, förstå, komma underfund med… See more fatom, menduga… See more der Faden, ergründen… See more favn, komme til bunns i, lodde… See more морський сажень, осягати, збагнути… See more Need a translator?

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fatherland fatherless fatherly fathers-in-law fathom fathom something out fathomable fathomed fathometer BETA {{#randomImageQuizHook.filename}} {{#randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} Test your vocabulary with our fun image quizzes Try a quiz now {{/randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} {{^randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} {{/randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} {{/randomImageQuizHook.filename}}

More meanings of fathom

• fathom something out

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UK /ɪɡˈzjuː.bər.ənt.li/ US /ɪɡˈzuː.bɚ.ənt.li/

in a very energetic and enthusiastic way

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• English   NounVerb
• American   
  • Noun 
    • fathom (MEASUREMENT)
  • Verb 
    • fathom (UNDERSTAND)
• Examples

• Translations
• Grammar
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