gulf

[guhlf]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR gulf ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

a deep hollow; chasm or abyss.

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

something that engulfs or swallows up.

verb (used with object)

to swallow up; engulf.

Origin of gulf

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

Related formsgulf·like, adjectivegulf·y, adjective

Can be confusedbay cove gulf inlet

Synonyms for gulf

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR gulf ON THESAURUS.COM

2. canyon, gorge, gully, cleft, rift, split.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for gulf

Contemporary Examples of gulf

The outlets giving these pronouncements the most airtime are Arabic news stations in the Gulf.
The Dangerous Drug-Funded Secret War Between Iran and Pakistan
Umar Farooq
December 29, 2014
But The Pinkprint gives little consideration to the gulf between her various musical selves.
Nicki Minaj Bares Her Own Vulnerability on ‘The Pinkprint’
Rawiya Kameir
December 16, 2014
Sadly, laws throughout the Middle East—from North Africa to the Gulf—limit the rights of religious minorities and non-believers.
What It’s Like to Be an Atheist in Palestine
Waleed al-Husseini, Movements.Org
December 8, 2014
In the south, the Gulf States view their Persian nuclear neighbor as a permanent archenemy.
The Nuclear Deal That Iran’s Regime Fears Most
Djavad Khadem
November 22, 2014
A sign that the Gulf States and/or Turkey told the White House they were getting out if the footsie continued?
Is Obama Done Playing Footsie With Assad?
Michael Tomasky
November 17, 2014

Historical Examples of gulf

Settlements have been established on the shores of the Gulf of Carpentaria.
Explorations in Australia
John Forrest
The gulf which separates parents and children is one which the parents must cross.
The Conquest of Fear
Basil King
As a matter of fact, we dig a gulf between the material and the spiritual which does not exist.
The Conquest of Fear
Basil King
She passed listlessly out, and down the path toward the gulf.
In the Valley
Harold Frederic
For her sake—for your Fanny's sake—pause, like me, before the gulf swallow us.
Night and Morning, Complete
Edward Bulwer-Lytton

British Dictionary definitions for gulf

gulf

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

(tr) to swallow up; engulf

Derived Formsgulflike, adjectivegulfy, adjective

Word Origin for gulf

C14: from Old French golfe, from Italian golfo, from Greek kolpos

Gulf

noun the Gulf

the Persian Gulf

Australian

the Gulf of Carpentaria
(modifier)of, relating to, or adjoining the GulfGulf country

NZ the Hauraki Gulf

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

Word Origin and History for gulf

late 14c., "profound depth;" geographic sense is c.1400; from Old French golf "a gulf, whirlpool," from Italian golfo "a gulf, a bay," from Late Latin colfos, from Greek kolpos "bay, gulf," earlier "trough between waves, fold of a garment," originally "bosom," the common notion being "curved shape," from PIE *kwelp- "to arch, to vault" (cf. Old English hwealf, a-hwielfan "to overwhelm"). Latin sinus underwent the same development, being used first for "bosom," later for "gulf." Replaced Old English sæ-earm. Figurative sense of "a wide interval" is from 1550s. The Gulf Stream (1775) takes its name from the Gulf of Mexico.