gulf
noun
a portion of an ocean or sea partly enclosed by land.
gulf
American
[guhlf]
/ gʌlf /
gulf
1
British
/ ɡʌlf /
noun
-
a large deep bay
-
a deep chasm
-
something that divides or separates, such as a lack of understanding
-
something that engulfs, such as a whirlpool
verb
Gulf
2
British
/ ɡʌlf /
noun
-
the Persian Gulf
-
-
the Gulf of Carpentaria
-
(modifier) of, relating to, or adjoining the Gulf
Gulf country
-
-
the Hauraki Gulf
gulf
Scientific
/ gŭlf /
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
Vocabulary lists containing gulf
The United States
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"The Tragedy of Macbeth," Vocabulary from Act 4
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They Call Me Güero
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Away from the crowds, Les Viviers du Pilon offers views over the gulf and fresh seafood, with starters from around $25, and an on-site fish market.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
While both countries are similar in size, there is a growing gulf in football terms.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
“A flurry of tankers have taken the chance to exit the gulf through the Strait of Hormuz, as Iran loosens its grip on the key waterway under conditions stipulated under the agreement,” the analysts add.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 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 Dust fall shone like a great pillar of faint light as it descended smoothly and never-endingly into the gulf.
From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman
Tehran said in turn it would stop its retaliatory attacks on regional neighbours, handing Gulf shipping and the oil industry a respite.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
As summer heat settles over the Southwest, it changes the circulation in the atmosphere enough to pull up monsoonal moisture from the Pacific and Gulf of California, fueling warm rain and thunderstorms.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
When it tried to relight 13 engines for a landing burn, only some turned on, leading to the booster having a hard splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
One Gulf official said the attack on Monday caused minor damage to the kingdom’s Abqaiq oil-processing and stabilization facility, the world’s largest, handling roughly 7 million barrels a day.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
The first time was from the Gulf station, and it wasn’t his fault.
From "Okay for Now" by Gary D. Schmidt
The Strait of Hormuz has been a critical trading entrepôt for centuries, a passageway between the Persian and Oman gulfs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 14, 2026
England have contributed to the biggest gulfs, beating Italy 74-0 and Ireland 69-0 in 2022.
From BBC ● Mar. 24, 2023
Crooms wants to narrow some of those gulfs with the grant.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 8, 2023
The other two spawn in the spring in either the central Baltic or its gulfs farther north.
From Science Magazine ● Nov. 1, 2022
It came from the stars and the black velocities, and the shining movements, and the silent gulfs of space.
From "The Martian Chronicles" by Ray Bradbury
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
