What does "plumb" mean?
A little mass of lead, or the like, attached to a line, and used by builders, etc., to indicate a vertical direction.
Plumb
/plʌm/ adj, adv, name, noun, verb, slang
adj, adv, name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A little mass of lead, or the like, attached to a line, and used by builders, etc., to indicate a vertical direction.
- Grammar: plumb is listed as adj, adv, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: plumb bob, plumb line, plummet, abrupt.
- Useful contrasts: cockeyed, unplumbed, approximate.
- Usage evidence: With a plumb bob, the carpenter is making sure that our new house's walls will be vertical.
How to use "plumb"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "plumb" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "plumb" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "plumb" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "plumb" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "plumb" is acting as adj, adv, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "plumb bob" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "plumb", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A little mass of lead, or the like, attached to a line, and used by builders, etc., to indicate a vertical direction.
- 2 Obsolete form of plum (“the fruit”). alt-of, obsolete
"Without attending to sub-divisions, all the pears are of one species, as well as all the apples, plumbs, peaches, cherries, lemons, citrons, oranges […]"
- 3 the metal bob of a plumb line wordnet
- 4 A weight on the end of a long line, used by sailors to determine the depth of water.
- 5 The perpendicular direction or position.
"Customers turned away from rickety chairs, stands of drawers that refused to open, or had no handles, lop-sided wardrobes whose doors were out of plumb or whose mirrors were cracked."
Verb
- 1 To determine the depth, generally of a liquid; to sound.
- 2 adjust with a plumb line so as to make vertical wordnet
- 3 To attach to a water supply and drain.
"The kitchen sink is now plumbed in / up."
- 4 examine thoroughly and in great depth wordnet
- 5 To think about or explore in depth, to get to the bottom of. figuratively, transitive
"to plumb the depths of"
Show 9 more definitions
- 6 measure the depth of something wordnet
- 7 To use a plumb bob as a measuring or aligning tool.
- 8 weight with lead wordnet
- 9 To accurately align vertically or horizontally.
- 10 To seal something with lead. dated
- 11 To work as a plumber. intransitive
- 12 To fall or sink like a plummet. rare
- 13 To trace a road or track; to follow it to its end. US, colloquial, figuratively, obsolete
- 14 To position vertically above or below.
Adjective
- 1 Truly vertical, as indicated by a plumb line.
- 2 Describing an LBW where the batsman is hit on the pads directly in front of their wicket and should be given out.
Adjective
- 1 exactly vertical wordnet
Adverb
- 1 In a vertical direction; perpendicularly. not-comparable
"Plumb down he drops."
- 2 Squarely, directly; deeply, completely. informal, not-comparable
"It hit him plumb in the middle of his face."
Adverb
- 1 completely; used as intensifiers wordnet
- 2 exactly wordnet
- 3 conforming to the direction of a plumb line wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"With a plumb bob, the carpenter is making sure that our new house's walls will be vertical."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "plumb"?
Common synonyms include: plumb bob, plumb line, plummet, abrupt, absolute, absolutely.
How do you use "plumb" in a sentence?
With a plumb bob, the carpenter is making sure that our new house's walls will be vertical.
How do you pronounce "plumb"?
Pronounced /plʌm/.
Etymology
From Middle English plumbe, plumme, from Old French *plombe, from Latin plumba, plural of plumbum.