fathom

When we imagine, for example, those questions we can no longer ask a loved one who has died, such queries, Ms. Watson suggests, help “our brains to process loss, our minds to fathom the unfathomable.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

An MSP called Sarwar's decision "bizarre", while a senior Scottish Labour MP said it was "absolutely mad. I cannot begin to fathom the logic of it."

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

The only solution Owens and Austin Baurichter could fathom then was creating a ballot measure.

From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026

But during a week when the canted economy just created its first trillionaire, I can’t fathom why Sarnoski felt we needed this version of Robin Hood now.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026

I can’t fathom what’s happening in her head.

From "The Sun Is Also a Star" by Nicola Yoon

DaCosta fathoms the deepest notes in Ibsen’s classic as though they were whale song, remixing them into her own ode to a woman who needs healthier hobbies.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 10, 2026

In the late 1800s the Yup’ik people from the Alaskan coast recorded building kayaks that were 2.5 fathoms long plus a cockpit, which was the length of an arm with a closed fist.

From Science Magazine ● May 31, 2023

“He’s playing it off. I don’t think he fathoms how bad this is. Shame on him. I hope he gets what he deserves.”

From Washington Times ● Jul. 6, 2021

And after some initial tests in the shallow water, the Thresher headed out to where the ocean was 1,400 fathoms, or a mile and half, deep.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 26, 2019

I will have lost two hundred fathoms of good Catalan cardel and the hooks and leaders.

From "The Old Man and The Sea" by Ernest Hemingway

Ken Ono’s career as one of the world’s most prominent mathematicians has taken him to Hollywood and the Olympics, places that he never could have fathomed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 7, 2025

Where this has led could be fathomed at the Ojai Festival in June.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2025

"We never fathomed it would be this catastrophic and apocalyptic."

From BBC ● Jan. 14, 2025

“They came out and executed. Kicked our butts. I would’ve never fathomed that this would’ve been the conclusion of the score if you would’ve asked me a week or two weeks ago. There’s no way.”

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 18, 2023

But I never fathomed the need of the culture even for the smallest acts.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee

While James is a good-looking, good-natured young man, he's rather lost when it comes to fathoming the way Pünd can unravel mysteries.

From Salon ● Oct. 31, 2022

Now, though some of the references have become more obscure with time, it’s hard to imagine anyone not fathoming the play’s gist.

From New York Times ● May 7, 2021

They are like the proverbial worker who knows how to use a hammer and thus sees everything as a nail—not fathoming the existence of other tools.

From Scientific American ● Jun. 8, 2020

“I just have a hard time fathoming why a deputy sheriff, or any police officer, would engage in that kind of conduct,” said J.P.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 14, 2019

Down, deeper than the fathoming of his eyes, plunged his spirit, and walked the sea's mysteries in vain imaginings.

From The Unknown Sea by Clemence Housman