Meaning & use
depth
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Meanings
nouncountable or uncountable
How far down something goes from the top or surface, or how far back it goes from the front.
Grammar: Countable for a measurement: a depth of two meters. Uncountable in general: the depth of the lake.
Patterns
- the depth of something
- at a depth of something
- to a depth of something
The pool has a maximum depth of three meters.
Divers measured the depth of the cave before going in.
The shelf is only twenty centimeters in depth, so it will not hold large books.
nounusually plural
A deep part of something, such as a lake, a forest or the sea.
Grammar: Almost always plural when it means a deep place: the depths of the ocean.
Patterns
- the depths of something
Strange fish live in the depths of the ocean.
The hikers vanished into the depths of the forest.
She felt a splash and then something rising from the depths.
noununcountable
The amount of detail, knowledge or understanding shown in something, or the strength of a feeling.
Grammar: Often followed by of: depth of knowledge, depth of feeling.
Patterns
- depth of knowledge
- depth of feeling
- in depth
The book has real depth, and I noticed new ideas each time I read it.
Her depth of knowledge surprised the examiners.
Nobody doubted the depth of his grief.
nounusually pluralfigurative
The most extreme point of a bad situation or feeling.
Grammar: Plural in this sense: in the depths of despair.
Patterns
- in the depths of something
He wrote the song in the depths of despair.
The business survived the depths of the recession.
She phoned her friend from the depths of a bad winter illness.
Word forms
| plural | depths |
|---|
Common combinations
- in depth
- The reporter looked at the issue in depth.
- depth of field
- A wide lens gives a large depth of field in photos.
- out of one's depth
- I felt out of my depth in the advanced class.
- great depth
- They discussed the plan in great depth.
- depth of feeling
- The letter showed a real depth of feeling.
- at a depth of
- The cable lies at a depth of 200 meters.
Synonyms and how they differ
- deepness
- Deepness is rare and usually physical, while depth is the standard word and also covers ideas and feelings.
- profundity
- Profundity is formal and stresses wise, serious thought, so it fits ideas better than measurements.
- extent
- Extent is about how far something spreads in any direction, not specifically downward or inward.
- intensity
- Intensity describes the strength of a feeling, but it cannot describe how far down something goes.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: depth or width?
depth vs width
Depth goes downward or backward, while width is the distance from side to side.
Practice
The reporter's article explored the issue in ____, covering causes, history and likely effects.
Choose one answer.
In depth means thoroughly. In length also exists but means for a long time or at full length, so it is the tempting wrong choice here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “depth”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.