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Gulf Stream

American  

noun

  1. a warm ocean current flowing north from the Gulf of Mexico, along the eastern coast of the United States, to an area off the southeastern coast of Newfoundland, where it becomes the western terminus of the North Atlantic Current.

  2. Gulf Stream system.


Gulf Stream British  

noun

  1. a relatively warm ocean current flowing northeastwards off the Atlantic coast of the US from the Gulf of Mexico

  2. another name for North Atlantic Drift

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Gulf Stream Scientific  
  1. A warm ocean current of the northern Atlantic Ocean off eastern North America. It flows northward and eastward from the Gulf of Mexico, eventually dividing into several branches. A major branch continues eastward to warm the coast and moderate the climate of northwest Europe.


Gulf Stream Cultural  
  1. A warm current that flows out of the Gulf of Mexico and northward through the Atlantic Ocean.


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:

The same region is also becoming less salty, and other studies point to changes in the Gulf Stream and signs that parts of the North Atlantic are being renewed more slowly.

From BBC Jul. 14, 2026

Nantucket has a relatively mild climate, with temperatures moderated by the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf Stream, drawing comparisons to certain islands of Scotland.

From The Wall Street Journal Jun. 16, 2026

Noting that its waters are ice-free thanks to the Gulf Stream, the Norwegian consultancy Rystad Energy has, for example, suggested excluding the Barents Sea from the EU's definition of the Arctic.

From Barron's Mar. 14, 2026

And the famous Gulf Stream is one of the currents that contributes to the AMOC.

From Slate Feb. 17, 2024

“The Gulf Stream will flow through a straw, provided the straw is aligned to the Gulf Stream and not at crosscurrents,” he read aloud from the one with an 11 scrawled over it.

From "Pax" by Sara Pennypacker

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