depth
4 ENTRIES FOUND:
plural
depths
plural
depths
Britannica Dictionary definition of DEPTH
1
a
:
a distance below a surface
[count]
-
These fish typically live at depths of 500 feet or more.
-
Students will test the temperature of the water at different/varying/various depths.
-
shallow/great depths
-
The boat sank to a depth of several hundred feet.
-
measuring the depth of the water/river/sea
-
the depth of a hole
-
The pool has a depth of 12 feet.
[noncount]
-
The pool is 12 feet in depth. [=12 feet deep]
b
[count]
:
the distance from the front of something to the back
— usually singular
-
Measure the height, width, and depth of the cabinet.
-
The bench's depth is 22 inches.
2
[count]
:
an area that exists far below a surface or far inside something
:
a deep place or area
— usually plural
— often used figuratively
-
They disappeared into the depths of the forest.
-
Scientists have begun using the machine to explore the ocean depths.
-
the black depths of outer space
-
The actress must examine her own emotional depths to perform the role successfully.
-
Around midnight, a loud noise woke us from the depths of sleep.
-
I knew in the depths of my heart/soul/being [=I believed very strongly] that we would survive.
-
The memory lies hidden in the depths of her mind. [=she has not thought about the memory in a long time]
-
in the depths of winter [=in the middle of winter; in the coldest part of winter]
3
[count]
a
:
a very low or bad state or condition
— usually plural
-
After losing his job, he sank into the depths of misery/despair/depression.
-
The film portrays a family's difficult climb from the depths of poverty.
-
I can't believe he lied. He's really sunk to new depths.
-
The team is reaching/plumbing new depths this season. [=the team is playing worse than it ever has before]
b
:
the worst part of something
-
I began working at the factory during the depth/depths of the Depression.
4
[noncount]
:
the quality of being deep: such as
a
:
the quality of being strongly felt
-
We were surprised by the depth of her anger/pain/shame.
-
He wanted to express the depth of his love for her.
-
No one doubted the depth of his faith. [=they all knew that his faith was strong]
-
the depth of her commitment to the project
-
The dancers expressed great depth of feeling/emotion.
b
:
the quality of being very bad or serious
-
I was shocked when I realized the depth of the problem.
c
:
the quality of being complete or thorough
-
We were impressed by the depth [=extent] of her experience/knowledge.
-
Your essay lacks depth. [=it does not cover its topic in a complete way]
d
:
the quality of being strong in color, taste, etc.
-
the depth of a color
-
The wine has great depth of flavor.
e
:
the quality of being low in sound
-
the depth of his voice
f
US, sports
:
the quality of having many good players on a team
-
The team lacks depth this year.
in depth
:
in a thorough or complete way
—
see also in-depth
-
The problem has yet to be examined/explored/studied in depth. [=thoroughly]
-
These topics need to be discussed in (more/greater) depth.
out of your depth
also beyond your depth
1
:
dealing with a situation or subject that is too difficult for you
-
When the debate turned to physics, I knew that I was out of my depth. [=in over my head]
2
chiefly British
:
in water that is deeper than your height
-
He is just getting used to swimming in water that is out of his depth. [=over his head]
