gull

[ guhl ]

See synonyms for gull on Thesaurus.com

noun

any of numerous long-winged, web-toed, aquatic birds of the family Laridae, having usually white plumage with a gray back and wings.

Origin of gull

1400–50; late Middle English gulle, perhaps <Welsh gŵylan,Cornish guilan (compare French goéland<Breton gwelan)

Other words from gull

gull-like, adjective

Words Nearby gull

Other definitions for gull (2 of 2)

gull²

[ guhl ]

verb (used with object)

to deceive, trick, or cheat.

noun

a person who is easily deceived or cheated; dupe.

Origin of gull

First recorded in 1540–50; perhaps akin to obsolete gull to swallow, guzzle

Other words for gull

1	cozen, dupe, fool, bamboozle, hoodwink

See synonyms for gull on Thesaurus.com

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use gull in a sentence

After 50 years, members of the Huna Tlingit people can finally collect harvest sea gull eggs again in Glacier National Park.
Nazis, Sunscreen, and Sea Gull Eggs: Congress in 2014 Was Hella Productive | Ben Jacobs | December 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Yes, and a terrible lie—designed to gull money from a generous, unsuspecting public.
Colonel of Truth: The KFC Hoax and the Idiocy of Crowdfunding for Bullying Victims | Scott Bixby | June 25, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
“These were not the finest Santa suits,” said the bartender at the Rusty gull.
Criminal Santas: Grapevine Murders, Bank Robberies, More (Photos) | Josh Dzieza | December 28, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
gull introduced Mortenson to the villagers as being a medical doctor and professor at an American medical college.
We Never Kidnapped Greg Mortenson | Ron Moreau, Sami Yousafzai | April 18, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
Asma gull Hasan was born in Chicago to Pakistani immigrant parents and grew up in Colorado.
Red, White, and Muslim | Asma Gull Hasan | February 26, 2009 | THE DAILY BEAST

On this occasion, however, the tug appeared somewhat late on the scene, and hailed the gull.
The Floating Light of the Goodwin Sands | R.M. Ballantyne
The drama, as far as the gull-Light was concerned, ended that night with the disappearance of the tug and lifeboat.
The Floating Light of the Goodwin Sands | R.M. Ballantyne
The mate and men rushed on deck in time to see a large ship pass close to the bow of the gull.
The Floating Light of the Goodwin Sands | R.M. Ballantyne
Little more than an hour before midnight another craft was observed driving down on the hawse of the gull.
The Floating Light of the Goodwin Sands | R.M. Ballantyne
Meanwhile the sun went down, and the lanterns of the Goodwin, the gull, and the South sandhead floating lights went up.
The Floating Light of the Goodwin Sands | R.M. Ballantyne

British Dictionary definitions for gull (1 of 2)

gull¹

/ (ɡʌl) /

noun

any aquatic bird of the genus Larus and related genera, such as L. canus (common gull or mew) having long pointed wings, short legs, and a mostly white plumage: family Laridae, order Charadriiformes: Related adjective: larine

Origin of gull

C15: of Celtic origin; compare Welsh gwylan

Derived forms of gull

gull-like, adjective

British Dictionary definitions for gull (2 of 2)

gull²

/ (ɡʌl) archaic /

noun

a person who is easily fooled or cheated

verb

(tr) to fool, cheat, or hoax

Origin of gull

C16: perhaps from dialect gull unfledged bird, probably from gul, from Old Norse gulr yellow

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

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