From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishfathomfath‧om1 /ˈfæðəm/ noun [countable] TMa unit for measuring the depth of water, equal to six feet or about 1.8 metres
Examples from the Corpus
fathom• In Taylor's Level the ground was equally as hard and the rate had been increased there to £9 a fathom.• Where the vein was of considerable thickness it was quite usual to pay the men at so much per cubic fathom.• Below him, full fathom five; above, infinity.• At the moment I'd guess we're in two to three hundred fathoms.• She gripped his clothing to hold her up, and plunged fathoms deep, mindless, soaring.• From the port side depths of seven fathoms were sounded, but only twelve from the starboard side.• A few minutes later: port, six fathoms and starboard, ten fathoms.fathomfathom2 (also fathom out) verb [transitive] UNDERSTANDto understand what something means after thinking about it carefully SYN work out I still can’t fathom out what she meant.fathom how/why/where etc Mark couldn’t fathom why she resented him so much.► see thesaurus at understand→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
fathom• The 1960s were the years of jaunty self-confidence among economists, and the reasons for this were not difficult to fathom.• The reason for a larger military role in domestic law enforcement is not hard to fathom.• He closed his eyes on the idea of people standing around a grave and this poor woman trying to fathom it all.• I can't quite fathom it.• They have assisted many hon. Members, including myself, in fathoming the difficult procedure.• For years, I tried to fathom the mentality that simply waves off concern about the cost of regulations as irrelevant.• The morning after the funeral, Jean started trying to fathom the mysteries posed by the contents of Brian's wallet.• The jury had difficulty fathoming the technical details.fathom how/why/where etc• Nor could he fathom how any daughter of his could be, either.• Mark was at a loss to fathom why he resented him so much.• He couldn't fathom why she'd taken such exception to Eleanor.• He couldn't fathom why she was so anxious that no one else should know of his interest in her.• Often it is difficult to fathom how these slings are knotted and connected.• Robert had not yet been able to fathom why this was the case.Origin fathom1 Old English fæthm 