plumb
noun · adjective · adverb · verb
Simple meaning
A little mass of lead, or the like, attached to a line, and used by builders.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
pluhmIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈplʌm
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A little mass of lead, or the like, attached to a line, and used by builders, etc., to indicate a vertical direction.
The perpendicular direction or position.
nautical
A weight on the end of a long line, used by sailors to determine the depth of water.
adjective
Truly vertical, as indicated by a plumb line.
adverb
In a vertical direction; perpendicularly.
informal
Squarely, directly; deeply, completely.
Conforming to the direction of a plumb line
verb
To determine the depth, generally of a liquid; to sound.
To attach to a water supply and drain.
transitivefigurative
To think about or explore in depth, to get to the bottom of.
To accurately align vertically or horizontally.
To use a plumb bob as a measuring or aligning tool.
intransitive
To work as a plumber.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C2 · Proficient
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Primarily written
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A little mass of lead, or the like, attached to a line, and used by builders, etc., to indicate a vertical direction.
Used this way, plumb is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It stays understated rather than dramatic. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Mild
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Nearby words
- plumb bob , rarer, so it draws attention
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
Utility consisting of the pipes and fixtures for the distribution of water or gas in a building and for the disposal of sewage.
A craftsman who installs and repairs pipes and fixtures and appliances.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A plumb line attached to a narrow board.
A fixture for the distribution and use of water in a building.
Utility consisting of the pipes and fixtures for the distribution of water or gas in a building and for the disposal of sewage.
The metal bob of a plumb line.
A carpenter's level with a plumb line at right angles to it.
A cord from which a metal weight is suspended pointing directly to the earth's center of gravity.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
- perpendicularnoun
- dodgeverb
- verticaladjective
- curbnoun
- gravitynoun
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.