verb

plumb

/plʌm/ · say it: plum

exactly vertical

In Architecture & Design

In more detail

1. (verb) to measure the depth of water using a weighted line; to check if something is vertical using a plumb bob

2. (verb) to install or repair pipes and water systems in a building

3. (verb) to understand or discover the meaning of something deep or hidden

4. (adverb) exactly or directly; completely

Examples

1. The sailors plumbed the harbor to find safe anchorages.
2. A plumber will plumb the new bathroom next week.
3. Psychologists try to plumb the mysteries of human behavior.

How to use plumb

Plumb has distinct uses: the practical sense (measuring depth or installing pipes) is technical but well-known; the figurative sense (to understand or explore something) is more literary and formal, as in 'plumb the depths of human emotion.' The adverbial use (plumb crazy, plumb center) is primarily American and informal, meaning 'completely' or 'exactly.'

Common phrases

plumb the depths
plumb new depths
plumb the meaning
plumb a building
plumb bob
plumb line

Synonyms

fathom · gauge · measure · install · explore

Word family

plumber · plumbing · plumbed

A common mistake

Learners sometimes confuse plumb (to measure depth or understand deeply) with plume (a feather or column of smoke), or assume the adverbial form is more widely accepted than it is outside American English.

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