A gulf is an important or significant difference between two people, things, or groups.
Within society, there is a growing gulf between rich and poor. [+ between]
...the gulf between rural and urban life. [+ between]
Synonyms: chasm, opening, split, gap More Synonyms of gulf
2. countable noun
A gulf is a large area of sea which extends a long way into the surrounding land.
...damage caused by hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico.
More Synonyms of gulf
Gulf
proper noun [oft NOUN noun]
The Gulf is used to refer to the Arabian Gulf, the Persian Gulf and the surrounding countries.
...the Gulf crisis.
...the Gulf War.
...the oil wells of the Gulf.
gulf in British English
(ɡʌlf)
noun
1.
a large deep bay
2.
a deep chasm
3.
something that divides or separates, such as a lack of understanding
4.
something that engulfs, such as a whirlpool
verb
5. (transitive)
to swallow up; engulf
Derived forms
gulflike (ˈgulfˌlike)
adjective
gulfy (ˈgulfy)
adjective
Word origin
C14: from Old French golfe, from Italian golfo, from Greek kolpos
Gulf in British English
(ɡʌlf)
noun
the Gulf
1. another name for the Persian Gulf
2. US
the Gulf of Mexico
3. Australian
the Gulf of Carpentaria
4. New Zealand
the Hauraki Gulf
gulf in American English
(gʌlf)
noun
1.
a large body of sea or ocean water, typically larger than a bay, that is partially enclosed by land
2.
a wide, deep chasm or abyss
3.
a wide or impassable gap or separation
4.
an eddy that draws objects down; whirlpool
verb transitive
5.
to swallow up; engulf
Idioms:
the Gulf
Word origin
ME goulf < OFr golfe < It golfo < LGr kolphos, for Gr kolpos, a fold, bosom, gulf, prob. < IE *kwolpos < base *kwel-, to turn > Ger wölben, to arch
Examples of 'gulf' in a sentence
gulf
There is a big gulf in that understanding that we have allowed to grow.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
There was a gulf in class, in size of budget and expectation.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The widening gulf was bridged by borrowing.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
There was a great gulf fixed between today and yesterday.
Edith Wharton The House of Mirth (1905)
That merely widens a gulf that people are not inclined to cross anyway.
Christianity Today (2000)
There is still a wide gulf between the two sides.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
There was a huge gulf between them and those at the top.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
His team found a gulf in the quality and quantity of music lessons.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
So too was the gaping gulf in class.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
There is often a vast gulf between our expectations of city life and the reality.
The Times Literary Supplement (2012)
Suggest you give each other a relaxing massage to help bridge the physical gulf between you.
The Sun (2012)
The agenda of the memorandum shows a huge gulf between the two main parties.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
The vast and widening gulf between imports and exports tells a troubling story.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
That is the first gulf between the two groups.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
The rugby world mostly pondered the vast gulf between them and the rest.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
There is a huge gulf between disapproval and strong moral condemnation and the right to make a decisive intervention.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
There is a huge gulf between young and old that lets new concepts of beauty in through the back door.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
The scale of the economic gulf between the two parties came as two polls yesterday showed that the election remained wide open.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
There is a class gulf between them, and they resent each other.
The Times Literary Supplement (2011)
Struggled at set-pieces as gulf in class showed.
The Sun (2012)
There is a huge gulf in the public resources provided to English regions.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Moreover, that average conceals a great gulf in England between the good and the bad.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
There is likely - at least at first - to be a vast gulf of understanding on both sides.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
He agrees there is often a gulf between people 's notion of the role they play in a team and the role their colleagues think they play.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
In other languages
gulf
British English: gulf NOUN
difference A gulf is an important or significant difference between two people, things, or groups.
Within society, there is a growing gulf between rich and poor.
American English: gulf
Brazilian Portuguese: abismo
Chinese: 巨大的差距
European Spanish: abismo
French: fossé
German: Kluft
Italian: frattura
Japanese: 隔たり
Korean: 큰 간격
European Portuguese: abismo
Latin American Spanish: abismo
British English: gulf NOUN
sea A gulf is a large area of sea which extends a long way into the surrounding land.
The storm was last night heading into the gulf.
American English: gulf
Brazilian Portuguese: golfo
Chinese: 海湾
European Spanish: golfo
French: golfe
German: Golf
Italian: golfo
Japanese: 湾
Korean: 만
European Portuguese: golfo
Latin American Spanish: golfo
All related terms of 'gulf'
Gulf War
the war (1991) between US-led UN forces and Iraq , following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait
the Gulf
the Persian Gulf or the surrounding region
Gulf Crisis
the unstable period prior to the war of 1991 between US-led UN forces and Iraq
Gulf States
the oil-producing states around the Persian Gulf: Iran , Iraq , Kuwait , Saudi Arabia , Bahrain , Qatar , the United Arab Emirates , and Oman
Gulf Stream
a relatively warm ocean current flowing northeastwards off the Atlantic coast of the US from the Gulf of Mexico
Leyte Gulf
an inlet of the Pacific in the E Philippines , east of Leyte and south of Samar : scene of a battle (Oct 23–26, 1944) during World War II, in which the Americans defeated almost the entire Japanese navy , thereby ensuring ultimate Allied victory
Arabian Gulf
→ the Arabian Gulf
Hauraki Gulf
an inlet of the Pacific in New Zealand , on the N coast of North Island
Lingayen Gulf
a large inlet of the South China Sea in the Philippines , on the NW coast of Luzon : site of the Japanese landing in the 1941 invasion
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf is the area of sea between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Saronic Gulf
an inlet of the Aegean on the SE coast of Greece . Length: about 80 km (50 miles). Width : about 48 km (30 miles)
Spencer Gulf
an inlet of the Indian Ocean in S Australia, between the Eyre and Yorke Peninsulas . Length: about 320 km (200 miles). Greatest width : about 145 km (90 miles)
Gulf of Aden
a waterway in the Arabian Sea between Yemen and Somalia and connecting with the Red Sea
Gulf of Oman
a strait that ultimately links the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf
Gulf of Riga
a large deep bay on the Baltic Sea
Gulf of Siam
an arm of the South China Sea between the Malay Peninsula and Indochina
Gulf of Suez
the NW arm of the Red Sea: linked with the Mediterranean by the Suez Canal
Pagasetic Gulf
an inlet of the Aegean in east central Greece
Gulf of Aegina
→ another name for Saronic Gulf
Gulf of Alaska
the N part of the Pacific , between the Alaska Peninsula and the Alexander Archipelago
Gulf of Anadyr
an inlet of the Bering Sea, off the coast of NE Russia
Gulf of Cambay
an inlet of the Arabian Sea on the W coast of India, southeast of the Kathiawar Peninsula
Gulf of Chihli
a large inlet of the Yellow Sea on the coast of NE China
Gulf of Cutch
→ the Gulf of Cutch
Gulf of Gabès
an inlet of the Mediterranean on the E coast of Tunisia
Gulf of Guinea
a large inlet of the S Atlantic on the W coast of Africa, extending from Cape Palmas , Liberia , to Cape Lopez , Gabon : contains two large bays, the Bight of Bonny and the Bight of Benin , separated by the Niger delta
Gulf of Kutch
an inlet of the Arabian Sea in India . Length: about 159 kilometres (99 miles)
Gulf of Lions
a wide bay of the Mediterranean off the S coast of France, between the Spanish border and Toulon
Gulf of Mannar
the part of the Indian Ocean between SE India and the island of Sri Lanka: pearl fishing
Gulf of Mexico
an area of the Atlantic Ocean to the south of the US and to the east of Mexico
Gulf of Panama
a wide inlet of the Pacific in Panama
Gulf of Papua
an inlet of the Coral Sea in the SE coast of New Guinea
Gulf of Saros
an inlet of the Aegean in NW Turkey , north of the Gallipoli Peninsula. Length: 59 km (37 miles). Width : 35 km (22 miles)
Gulf of Sidra
a wide inlet of the Mediterranean on the N coast of Libya
Gulf of Tatary
→ another name for Tatar Strait
Gulf of Tonkin
an arm of the South China Sea, bordered by N Vietnam , the Leizhou Peninsula of SW China, and Hainan Island. Length: about 500 km (300 miles)
Gulf of Volos
an inlet of the Aegean in east central Greece
Gulf of Argolis
an inlet of the Aegean Sea, in the E Peloponnese
Gulf of Bothnia
an arm of the Baltic Sea, extending north between Sweden and Finland
Gulf of California
an arm of the Pacific Ocean , between Sonora and Lower California
Gulf of Campeche
a state of SE Mexico , on the SW of the Yucatán peninsula : forestry and fishing . Capital: Campeche . Pop: 205 000 (2005 est). Area: 56 114 sq km (21 666 sq miles)
Gulf of Corinth
an inlet of the Ionian Sea between the Peloponnese and central Greece
Gulf of Finland
an arm of the Baltic Sea between Finland , Estonia , and Russia
Gulf of Fonseca
an inlet of the Pacific Ocean in W Central America
Gulf of Honduras
an inlet of the Caribbean, on the coasts of Honduras , Guatemala , and Belize
Gulf of Lepanto
→ Corinth (sense 3 )
Gulf of Liaodong
the N part of the Gulf of Chihli , west of the Liaodong Peninsula
Gulf of Martaban
an inlet of the Bay of Bengal in Myanmar
Gulf of San Blas
an inlet of the Caribbean on the N coast of Panama
Gulf of Taranto
an inlet of the Ionian Sea, in Apulia in SE Italy
Chinese translation of 'gulf'
gulf
(ɡʌlf)
n
(c) (= bay) 海湾(灣) (hǎiwān) (个(個), gè)
(c) (= difference) 鸿(鴻)沟(溝) (hónggōu) (道, dào)
the Gulf海湾(灣)地区(區) (Hǎiwān Dìqū)
cpd
Gulf[war, crisis]海湾(灣) (Hǎiwān)
Gulf
[war, crisis]海湾(灣) (Hǎiwān)
See gulf
1 (noun)
Definition
a large deep bay
an aerial shot of the Gulf of Mexico
Synonyms
bay
a short ferry ride across the bay
bight
sea inlet
2 (noun)
Definition
something that divides or separates people, such as a lack of understanding
the gulf between rural and urban life
Synonyms
chasm
The chasm was deep and its sides almost vertical.
opening
He squeezed through an opening in the fence.
split
The seat had a few small splits around the corners.
gap
the wind tearing through gaps in the window frames
rent
breach
A large battering ram hammered a breach in the wall.
separation
They agreed to a trial separation.
void
rift
In the open bog are many rifts and potholes.
abyss
An avalanche carried him into the deep abyss below.
cleft
a narrow cleft in the rocks too small for a human to squeeze through
Additional synonyms
in the sense of abyss
Definition
a very deep hole in the ground
An avalanche carried him into the deep abyss below.
Synonyms
chasm,
gulf,
split,
crack,
gap,
pit,
opening,
breach,
hollow,
void,
gorge,
crater,
cavity,
ravine,
cleft,
fissure,
crevasse,
bottomless depth,
abysm
in the sense of breach
Definition
a crack, break, or gap
A large battering ram hammered a breach in the wall.
Synonyms
opening,
crack,
break,
hole,
split,
gap,
rent,
rift,
rupture,
aperture,
chasm,
cleft,
fissure
in the sense of cleft
Definition
an indentation or split
a narrow cleft in the rocks too small for a human to squeeze through