gulf
1 of 2noun
ˈgəlf 
1
: a part of an ocean or sea extending into the land
2
: a deep chasm : abyss
3
: whirlpool
4
: a wide gap
the gulf between generations
gulf
2 of 2verb
gulfed; gulfing; gulfs
transitive verb
: engulf
Synonyms
Noun
- arm
- bay
- bight
- cove
- creek [chiefly British]
- embayment
- estuary
- firth
- fjord
- fiord
- inlet
- loch [Scottish]
Verb
- deluge
- drown
- engulf
- flood
- inundate
- overflow
- overwhelm
- submerge
- submerse
- swamp
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Noun we dipped our feet in the warm waters of the gulf the gulf of understanding between the two men was too wide for them to ever get along Verb with the administration gulfed by so many real problems, it's absurd for the president to concern himself with this nonissue
Recent Examples on the Web
Michelle Ruiz, Vogue, 13 Sep. 2022 The geography of empire always includes a gulf of hypocrisy between the metropolis and the provinces. Dominic Green, WSJ, 7 June 2022 But there remains a gulf in perception across Europe between west and east, big and small. Washington Post, 14 Apr. 2022 But how much does the probability that Musk can free himself justify the gulf between Twitter’s current price and the $50-plus purchase that most experts deem most likely? Shawn Tully, Fortune, 27 Aug. 2022 But the proposals that Chinese scholars have put forward on Taiwan highlight the gulf between what Beijing seems to have in mind, and what most Taiwanese could accept. New York Times, 7 Aug. 2022 The gulf separating Iran and the US has grown wider since the last round of nuclear talks in Vienna, European Union diplomats said as the latest negotiations resume. Jonathan Tirone, Bloomberg.com, 4 Aug. 2022 But the non-public data behind the topline number show a gulf between the prevailing conditions affecting those who moved residences and those who didn’t . Somesh Jha, Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2022 There’s a huge gulf between the testosterone ranges of men and women. San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 June 2022 Ferris Jabr, Smithsonian, 8 Jan. 2018 See More
Noun
The shot continually cited in much of the online comparison between the two royal couples shows a gulf of distance between Prince William and Princess Kate, but there were many, many more shots from the same walkabout. Michelle Ruiz, Vogue, 13 Sep. 2022 The geography of empire always includes a gulf of hypocrisy between the metropolis and the provinces. Dominic Green, WSJ, 7 June 2022 But there remains a gulf in perception across Europe between west and east, big and small. Washington Post, 14 Apr. 2022 But how much does the probability that Musk can free himself justify the gulf between Twitter’s current price and the $50-plus purchase that most experts deem most likely? Shawn Tully, Fortune, 27 Aug. 2022 But the proposals that Chinese scholars have put forward on Taiwan highlight the gulf between what Beijing seems to have in mind, and what most Taiwanese could accept. New York Times, 7 Aug. 2022 The gulf separating Iran and the US has grown wider since the last round of nuclear talks in Vienna, European Union diplomats said as the latest negotiations resume. Jonathan Tirone, Bloomberg.com, 4 Aug. 2022 But the non-public data behind the topline number show a gulf between the prevailing conditions affecting those who moved residences and those who didn’t . Somesh Jha, Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2022 There’s a huge gulf between the testosterone ranges of men and women. San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 June 2022 Verb
So many gulfs separate us now: geographical, anatomical, psychological. Ferris Jabr, Smithsonian, 8 Jan. 2018 See More Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English goulf, from Middle French golfe, from Italian golfo, from Late Latin colpus, from Greek kolpos bosom, gulf; akin to Old English hwealf vault, Old High German walbo
First Known Use
Noun
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
1807, in the meaning defined above
Kids Definition
gulf
noun
ˈgəlf
1
: a part of an ocean or sea that extends into the land
the Gulf of Mexico
2
: a deep split or gap in the earth
3
: a wide separation
… so wide sometimes is the gulf between theory and practice. Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne of Avonlea
Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne of Avonleagulf 1 of 2
noun
1
as in bay
a part of a body of water that extends beyond the general shoreline we dipped our feet in the warm waters of the gulf Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- bay
- estuary
- firth
- cove
- inlet
- creek
- loch
- port
- embayment
- fjord
- bayou
- harbor
- bight
- arm
- fiord
- strait
- sound
- narrow
- roadstead
- road(s)
- slough
- backwater
- slue
- slew
2
as in ocean
an immeasurable depth or space the gulf of understanding between the two men was too wide for them to ever get along Synonyms & Similar Words
- ocean
- abyss
- chasm
- expanse
- deep
- fissure
- cavern
- crevice
- abysm
- pit
- cleft
- hole
- void
- crevasse
- stretch
- emptiness
- extent
- breadth
- reach
- hollow
- vacuum
- vacancy
- black hole
- nothingness
- spread
- vacuity
3
as in canyon
a narrow opening between hillsides or mountains that can be used for passage the gulf was too wide to cross, so we had to hike down into it and go through it Synonyms & Similar Words
- canyon
- ravine
- gorge
- valley
- gap
- gulch
- saddle
- pass
- col
- abyss
- chasm
- cañon
- crevice
- linn
- fissure
- flume
- defile
- couloir
- gill
- trench
- cleft
- kloof
- basin
- crevasse
- vale
- notch
- glen
- gutter
- cirque
- dale
- dell
- hollow
- arroyo
- wadi
- barranca
- gully
- coulee
- kettle
- combe
- coomb
- coombe
- floodplain
- trough
- wash
- cwm
- barranco
- gulley
- draw
- nullah
- shut-in
4
as in gap
an open space in a barrier (as a wall or hedge) a wide gulf in the defensive wall meant the city was in grave danger Synonyms & Similar Words
- gap
- hole
- rift
- crevice
- fissure
- interval
- opening
- void
- discontinuity
- breach
- crack
- rent
- separation
- interstice
- chasm
- cleft
- break
- slit
- hiatus
- split
- abyss
- pore
- fracture
- cavity
- slot
- orifice
- rupture
- aperture
- interspace
- cranny
- gape
- notch
- severance
- chink
- sundering
5
as in vortex
water moving rapidly in a circle with a hollow in the center the doomed ship was sucked into the gulf and consigned to Davy Jones's locker Synonyms & Similar Words
- vortex
- maelstrom
- whirlpool
- eddy
- swirl
- tourbillon
- tourbillion
- whirl
gulf
2 of 2verb
as in to flood
to cover with a flood with the administration gulfed by so many real problems, it's absurd for the president to concern himself with this nonissue Synonyms & Similar Words
- flood
- engulf
- swamp
- overwhelm
- drown
- deluge
- submerge
- overflow
- inundate
- flow
- flush
- overcome
- avalanche
- stream
- wet
- sluice
- submerse
- overrun
- gush
- smother
- spurt
- spout
- drench
- soak
- pour
- dowse
- douse
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- drain
- dry
- dehydrate
- parch
- otomak
- otomaks
- Otomanguean
- Otomi
- Otomian
- otomis
- otorhinolaryngologic
- otorhinolaryngological
- otorhinolaryngologies
- otorhinolaryngologist
- otorhinolaryngologists
- otorhinolaryngology
- otos
- otosalpinges
- otosalpinx
- otoscleroses
- otosclerosis
- otoscope
- otoscopes
- otoscopies
- otoses
- otosis
- otosphenal
- otosteon
- ototoxic