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plumb
1[pluhm]
noun
a small mass of lead or other heavy material, as that suspended by a line and used to measure the depth of water or to ascertain a vertical line.
adjective
true according to a plumb line perpendicular.
Synonyms: , ,Informal.downright or absolute.
adverb
in a perpendicular or vertical direction.
exactly, precisely, or directly.
Informal.completely or absolutely.
She was plumb mad. You're plumb right.
verb (used with object)
to test or adjust by a plumb line.
to make vertical.
Shipbuilding.horn.
to sound with or as with a plumb line.
to measure (depth) by sounding.
to examine closely in order to discover or understand.
to plumb someone's thoughts.
to seal with lead.
to weight with lead.
to provide (a house, building, apartment, etc.) with plumbing.
verb (used without object)
to work as a plumber.
Plumb
2[pluhm]
noun
J(ohn) H(arold), 1911–2001, British historian.
plumb
/ ʌ /
noun
a weight, usually of lead, suspended at the end of a line and used to determine water depth or verticality
the perpendicular position of a freely suspended plumb line (esp in the phrases out of plumb, off plumb )
adjective
informal(prenominal) (intensifier)
a plumb nuisance
adverb
in a vertical or perpendicular line
informal(intensifier)
plumb stupid
informalexactly; precisely (also in the phrase plumb on )
verb
to test the alignment of or adjust to the vertical with a plumb line
(tr) to undergo or experience (the worst extremes of misery, sadness, etc)
to plumb the depths of despair
(tr) to understand or master (something obscure)
to plumb a mystery
to connect or join (a device such as a tap) to a water pipe or drainage system
Other 51Թ Forms
- plumbable adjective
- plumbless adjective
- plumbness noun
- replumb verb (used with object)
- unplumb adjective
- ˈܳ adjective
51Թ History and Origins
Origin of plumb1
51Թ History and Origins
Origin of plumb1
Idioms and Phrases
out of / off plumb, not corresponding to the perpendicular; out of true.
Example Sentences
The most extreme images and videos viewed by David and his colleagues plumb the depths of depravity.
Hookworms, for example, used to devastate communities in the South, but they were by and large eradicated with the introduction of indoor plumbing and urbanization.
The owner must also reroute services such as electrics and plumbing and restore fixtures and fittings to their original listed status.
Buckingham Palace says the current figures are higher because of a 10-year, £369m project to modernise facilities in the Palace, including cabling, plumbing, wiring and lifts.
Workers then install insulation, cabinetry, electrical, plumbing and more, usually in about 12 to 15 days.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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