Fathom
verb
To understand something difficult after thinking about it.
I can't fathom why she would leave her job.
Often appears as...
- fathom out
- fathom why
noun
A unit of length equal to six feet, used to measure the depth of water.
The water here is five fathoms deep.
Often appears as...
- deep fathom
- fathoms deep
Usage tips
Technical
verb
To investigate to discover depth, meaning, etc.
They attempted to fathom the mysteries of the ancient civilization.
Often appears as...
- fathom mysteries
- fathom depths
verb
To understand something difficult after thinking about it.
I can't fathom why she would leave her job.
Often appears as...
- fathom out
- fathom why
noun
A unit of length equal to six feet, used to measure the depth of water.
The water here is five fathoms deep.
Often appears as...
- deep fathom
- fathoms deep
Usage tips
Technical
verb
To investigate to discover depth, meaning, etc.
They attempted to fathom the mysteries of the ancient civilization.
Often appears as...
- fathom mysteries
- fathom depths
Definition 1 of 3
Pro Tip 1/3Emotional Weight
When you can't fathom something, it often involves shock or surprise.
After the twist ending, I couldn't fathom how I'd missed all the clues.
Pro Tip 2/3Figuring It Out
Used when trying to understand something complex or not immediately obvious.
He took hours trying to fathom the equation.
Pro Tip 3/3Difficulty Expressing
Often used to describe concepts that are hard to put into words.
She found the philosophy lectures hard to fathom.
Pro Tip 1/3Emotional Weight
When you can't fathom something, it often involves shock or surprise.
After the twist ending, I couldn't fathom how I'd missed all the clues.
Pro Tip 2/3Figuring It Out
Used when trying to understand something complex or not immediately obvious.
He took hours trying to fathom the equation.
Pro Tip 3/3Difficulty Expressing
Often used to describe concepts that are hard to put into words.
She found the philosophy lectures hard to fathom.
Pro Tip 1/3Emotional Weight
When you can't fathom something, it often involves shock or surprise.
After the twist ending, I couldn't fathom how I'd missed all the clues.
Pro Tip 2/3Figuring It Out
Used when trying to understand something complex or not immediately obvious.
He took hours trying to fathom the equation.
Pro Tip 3/3Difficulty Expressing
Often used to describe concepts that are hard to put into words.
She found the philosophy lectures hard to fathom.
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Video examples
The transformative power...
And to be at the point where we can start to experience those things that we can't yet fathom. Let's just take a moment to visualize that. I'm talking about not individual little simulations but a massive possibility of huge networks of interaction. Massive global events that can happen inside that. Things that even in the real world become challenging to produce at that kind of scale.
Video examples
Jason Silva on the...
lot of the qualities that make women women can be extended and amplified by technologies and a lot of quality that make man men can also be extended and amplified by technologies but these technologies might also serve as mediators that help men and women come together in new rich and amazing ways that we can't even fathom because
Video examples
Finding Little Owls in...
Feels like it would be very easy to die here. That thing is incredible there. And that's the that's the main headgear that brought up all that coal and over its lifetime, it brought up twenty four million tons of coal. I can't even like fathom that working and this place being like full of people.
Video examples
Glow-in-the-dark sharks...
and then here we are in the deep ocean, and we're finding marine creatures and cells that can illuminate the human mind. And it's my hope that with illuminated minds, we could ponder the overarching interconnectedness of all life, and fathom how much more lies in store
Video examples
Jeremy Gilley: One day...
So obviously we didn't have any money. I was living at my mom's place. And we started writing letters to everybody. You very quickly work out what is it that you've got to do to fathom that out. How do you create a day voted by every single head of state in the world
Video examples
I grew up in the...
It's hard because we often can't fathom how the other side came to their positions. It's hard because righteous indignation, that sense of certainty that ours is the right side, is so seductive. It's hard because it means extending empathy and compassion
Video examples
Measuring the ocean’s...
even more depressing is that 41% of the ocean has been heavily impacted those are the yellow orange and red places on the planet this is remarkable the ocean is truly vast their place is so remote it's hard to fathom their isolation and
Video examples
The power to think ahead...
public health officials around the world had early warning signs and predictive tools that showed how that outbreak might spread, but they failed to fathom that it would, and they failed to act in time to intervene,
Video examples
How to Find Joy in...
We need to change society, policy, economy and culture. This is about transformation, and the stakes for humanity are greater than my heart and mind can fully fathom. So I find the best way to cope with this
Video examples
Is life meaningless? And...
He couldn’t fathom any meaning behind all this endless bloodshed and suffering. He if the world was meaningless, could our individual lives still hold value?
Video examples
The transformative power...
And to be at the point where we can start to experience those things that we can't yet fathom. Let's just take a moment to visualize that. I'm talking about not individual little simulations but a massive possibility of huge networks of interaction. Massive global events that can happen inside that. Things that even in the real world become challenging to produce at that kind of scale.
Video examples
Jason Silva on the...
lot of the qualities that make women women can be extended and amplified by technologies and a lot of quality that make man men can also be extended and amplified by technologies but these technologies might also serve as mediators that help men and women come together in new rich and amazing ways that we can't even fathom because
Video examples
Finding Little Owls in...
Feels like it would be very easy to die here. That thing is incredible there. And that's the that's the main headgear that brought up all that coal and over its lifetime, it brought up twenty four million tons of coal. I can't even like fathom that working and this place being like full of people.
Video examples
Glow-in-the-dark sharks...
and then here we are in the deep ocean, and we're finding marine creatures and cells that can illuminate the human mind. And it's my hope that with illuminated minds, we could ponder the overarching interconnectedness of all life, and fathom how much more lies in store
Video examples
Jeremy Gilley: One day...
So obviously we didn't have any money. I was living at my mom's place. And we started writing letters to everybody. You very quickly work out what is it that you've got to do to fathom that out. How do you create a day voted by every single head of state in the world
Video examples
I grew up in the...
It's hard because we often can't fathom how the other side came to their positions. It's hard because righteous indignation, that sense of certainty that ours is the right side, is so seductive. It's hard because it means extending empathy and compassion
Video examples
Measuring the ocean’s...
even more depressing is that 41% of the ocean has been heavily impacted those are the yellow orange and red places on the planet this is remarkable the ocean is truly vast their place is so remote it's hard to fathom their isolation and
Video examples
The power to think ahead...
public health officials around the world had early warning signs and predictive tools that showed how that outbreak might spread, but they failed to fathom that it would, and they failed to act in time to intervene,
Video examples
How to Find Joy in...
We need to change society, policy, economy and culture. This is about transformation, and the stakes for humanity are greater than my heart and mind can fully fathom. So I find the best way to cope with this
Video examples
Is life meaningless? And...
He couldn’t fathom any meaning behind all this endless bloodshed and suffering. He if the world was meaningless, could our individual lives still hold value?
Example 1 of 10
Quote examples
Mark Helprin
American Novelist
In an interview, I lose control even of what I am, for it is the interviewer who edits me, finally, into what he thinks I am, and never have I been happy with someone else's version of my life after that person has spent an entire two or three hours fathoming it.
Quote examples
Chris Carter
American Producer
Even if I see 300 'X-Files' fans together, I can't fathom - I cannot imagine - the audience itself. All I think about is the show and all I think about is why I like it and why I like to write it and why I like the characters and what I have to say through them.
Quote examples
Alycia Debnam-Carey
Australian Actress
It's funny because TV wasn't something that I wanted to do. I wanted to do movies. I'd said a lot of no's to a lot of shows previously because I couldn't fathom being on a show for such a long time and only doing one thing.
Quote examples
Akira Toriyama
Japanese Artist
I usually live an extremely normal life, since I live in the countryside. Even when people call me 'famous' and such, I can't really fathom it, even now.
Quote examples
John Locke
English Philosopher
It is of great use to the sailor to know the length of his line, though he cannot with it fathom all the depths of the ocean.
Quote examples
Nadya Suleman
American Celebrity
I couldn't even fathom the idea of having my own children out in the world and not know them.
Quote examples
Michael Caine
English Actor
For all my education, accomplishments, and so called 'wisdom'... I can't fathom my own heart.
Quote examples
Declan Donnelly
English Producer
I think there is more to this world than we can possibly fathom. There's got to be.
Quote examples
Jason McCourty
American Football Player
Before you have kids you can't even fathom what it really is.
Quote examples
Charles Baudelaire
French Poet
Music fathoms the sky.
Quote examples
Mark Helprin
American Novelist
In an interview, I lose control even of what I am, for it is the interviewer who edits me, finally, into what he thinks I am, and never have I been happy with someone else's version of my life after that person has spent an entire two or three hours fathoming it.
Quote examples
Chris Carter
American Producer
Even if I see 300 'X-Files' fans together, I can't fathom - I cannot imagine - the audience itself. All I think about is the show and all I think about is why I like it and why I like to write it and why I like the characters and what I have to say through them.
Quote examples
Alycia Debnam-Carey
Australian Actress
It's funny because TV wasn't something that I wanted to do. I wanted to do movies. I'd said a lot of no's to a lot of shows previously because I couldn't fathom being on a show for such a long time and only doing one thing.
Quote examples
Akira Toriyama
Japanese Artist
I usually live an extremely normal life, since I live in the countryside. Even when people call me 'famous' and such, I can't really fathom it, even now.
Quote examples
John Locke
English Philosopher
It is of great use to the sailor to know the length of his line, though he cannot with it fathom all the depths of the ocean.
Quote examples
Nadya Suleman
American Celebrity
I couldn't even fathom the idea of having my own children out in the world and not know them.
Quote examples
Michael Caine
English Actor
For all my education, accomplishments, and so called 'wisdom'... I can't fathom my own heart.
Quote examples
Declan Donnelly
English Producer
I think there is more to this world than we can possibly fathom. There's got to be.
Quote examples
Jason McCourty
American Football Player
Before you have kids you can't even fathom what it really is.
Quote examples
Charles Baudelaire
French Poet
Music fathoms the sky.
Example 1 of 10
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