51Թ

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View synonyms for

plumb

1

[ pluhm ]

noun

  1. 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. Compare plumb line.


adjective

  1. true according to a plumb line perpendicular.

    Synonyms: , ,

  2. Informal. downright or absolute.

adverb

  1. in a perpendicular or vertical direction.
  2. exactly, precisely, or directly.
  3. Informal. completely or absolutely:

    She was plumb mad. You're plumb right.

verb (used with object)

  1. to test or adjust by a plumb line.
  2. to make vertical.
  3. Shipbuilding. horn ( def 32 ).
  4. to sound with or as with a plumb line.
  5. to measure (depth) by sounding.
  6. to examine closely in order to discover or understand:

    to plumb someone's thoughts.

  7. to seal with lead.
  8. to weight with lead.
  9. to provide (a house, building, apartment, etc.) with plumbing.

verb (used without object)

  1. to work as a plumber.

Plumb

2

[ pluhm ]

noun

  1. J(ohn) H(arold), 1911–2001, British historian.

plumb

/ ʌ /

noun

  1. a weight, usually of lead, suspended at the end of a line and used to determine water depth or verticality
  2. the perpendicular position of a freely suspended plumb line (esp in the phrases out of plumb, off plumb )
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

  1. informal.
    prenominal (intensifier)

    a plumb nuisance

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adverb

  1. in a vertical or perpendicular line
  2. informal.
    (intensifier)

    plumb stupid

  3. informal.
    exactly; precisely (also in the phrase plumb on )
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. troften foll byup to test the alignment of or adjust to the vertical with a plumb line
  2. tr to undergo or experience (the worst extremes of misery, sadness, etc)

    to plumb the depths of despair

  3. tr to understand or master (something obscure)

    to plumb a mystery

  4. to connect or join (a device such as a tap) to a water pipe or drainage system
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈܳ, adjective
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Other 51Թs From

  • ܳa· adjective
  • ܳl adjective
  • ܳn noun
  • ·ܳ verb (used with object)
  • ܲ·ܳ adjective
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of plumb1

1250–1300; Middle English plumbe, probably < Anglo-French *plombe < Vulgar Latin *plumba, for Latin plumbum lead
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of plumb1

C13: from Old French plomb (unattested) lead line, from Old French plon lead, from Latin plumbum lead
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Idioms and Phrases

  1. out of / off plumb, not corresponding to the perpendicular; out of true.
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Example Sentences

He owns and runs Custom Heat, a plumbing firm based in Rugby.

From

Firstly, it's plumbed in and secondly, a potential thief will have no idea who last used the toilet or what they ate.

From

The plumbing broke, spraying raw sewage puddles on the floor.

From

Sonia helped Charlie get a plumbing apprenticeship and, for the last year, he has also been mentoring boys on the programme.

From

The German composer, whose work often plumbed the ancient past, came across them in 1934.

From

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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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