fathoming

Verb

fathom (third-person singular simple present fathoms, present participle fathoming, simple past and past participle fathomed)

1. (also, figuratively, transitive) To measure the depth of (water); to take a sounding of; to sound.
   • It is very steep, and on its summit is a lake of dark water, so deep that it cannot be fathomed.1850, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology, London: H.G. Bohn, page 457
2. (archaic, obsolete, transitive) To encircle (someone or something) with outstretched arms; specifically, to measure the circumference or (rare) length of something.
3. (figuratively, transitive) Often followed by out: to deeply understand (someone or something); to get to the bottom of.
   • I can’t for the life of me fathom what this means.

   Synonyms:

   figure out, puzzle out, work out

4. (obsolete, transitive) To embrace (someone or something).
5. (intransitive) To measure a depth; to sound.
6. (figuratively, intransitive) To conduct an examination or inquiry; to investigate.

See all 14 meanings of fathom