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• gulf
  gulf

  noun

  a portion of an ocean or sea partly enclosed by land.
• Gulf
  Gulf

  noun

  the Persian Gulf

gulf

American  

[guhlf] / gʌlf /

noun

gulfs plural

1. a portion of an ocean or sea partly enclosed by land.

2. a deep hollow; chasm or abyss.

   Synonyms:

   split, rift, cleft, gully, gorge, canyon

3. any wide separation, as in position, status, or education.

4. something that engulfs or swallows up.

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verb (used with object)

1. to swallow up; engulf.

Gulf ¹ British  

/ ɡʌlf /

noun

1. the Persian Gulf

2. 1. the Gulf of Carpentaria

   2. (modifier) of, relating to, or adjoining the Gulf

      Gulf country

3. the Hauraki Gulf

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gulf ² British  

/ 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

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verb

1. (tr) to swallow up; engulf

gulf Scientific  

/ gŭlf /

1. A large body of ocean or sea water that is partly surrounded by land.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• gulflike
  adjective
• gulfy
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• gulfs
  plural

Etymology

Origin of gulf

1300–50; Middle English go ( u ) lf < Old French golfe < Italian golfo < Late Greek kólphos, Greek kólpos bosom, lap, bay

Explanation

Deep, wide and often filled with water, a gulf is any vast and seemingly unbridgeable area. You've probably heard of the Gulf of Mexico, that large body of water that's partly surrounded by land. But a gulf doesn't have to be all about the ocean. If two people have vastly different cultures or opinions, you could say that there's a gulf between them — a large divide that neither side is willing or able to cross.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

gulf Gulf gulfs

While both countries are similar in size, there is a growing gulf in football terms.

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026

Plus, production in the gulf likely won’t return to prewar levels before this fall.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

There is a vast gulf between how much productivity CEOs believe AI will yield and how much employees report it actually helps.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026

The SpaceX IPO is creating a whole new round of deep-pocketed home buyers — and deepening the gulf between high-end housing markets and everyday real estate.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 13, 2026

The gulf between us had been growing all summer.

From "The Season of Styx Malone" by Kekla Magoon

The largest island in the Gulf, Qeshm stretches for around 100 kilometres across the Strait of Hormuz, dominating the entrance to the Gulf.

From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026

The global economy suddenly finds its energy supplies threatened on three fronts simultaneously: the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea and the Black Sea.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

Kelanic told BBC Verify that any Houthi attacks on vessels in the Red Sea or Gulf of Aden "will suppress all international traffic not just Saudi-bound vessels".

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

Iran claims three disputed islets -- Lesser Tunb, Greater Tunb and Abu Musa -- in the middle of the Gulf, which are also claimed by the United Arab Emirates.

From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026

Privately, he had his doubts about what had really happened in the Gulf of Tonkin.

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin

All nine countries lining the two connected gulfs, including Iran under any management, will want passage restored.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 31, 2026

They will need answers if they are to bridge the generational gulfs exposed at recent general elections.

From BBC ● May 19, 2023

We are connected, but the fact that we’re so disconnected in so many different ways, just trying to remind each other that with all of those gulfs, there is a way back.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 13, 2022

The other two spawn in the spring in either the central Baltic or its gulfs farther north.

From Science Magazine ● Nov. 1, 2022

She could feel the emptiness, the vast black gulfs of air that yawned around her.

From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin