verb
sound
To determine depth by probing.
The crew sounds the channel before bringing the ship into port.
Etymology
The depth-testing verb is related to an older word for the bottom. Sounding finds how far down that bottom lies by a line or other probe.
More examples
- They sounded the harbor with a weighted line.
- We are sounding the lake to map its bottom.
- She sounds out her coworkers before proposing a new schedule.
Forms
sound · sounds · sounded · sounding
sounding noun — A measurement of the depth of water.