Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

Gulf States

American  
[guhlf steyts] / ˈgʌlf ˌsteɪts /

plural noun

  1. the states of the U.S. bordering on the Gulf of Mexico: Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas.

  2. Also called Persian Gulf States.  the oil-producing countries bordering on or located near the Persian Gulf: Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.


Gulf States British  

plural noun

  1. the oil-producing states around the Persian Gulf: Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman

  2. the states of the US that border on the Gulf of Mexico: Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas

"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

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 published text of the memorandum of understanding says Iran will define the future administration of the strait in dialogue with Oman and the other Gulf States, but "in line" with international law.

From Barron's Jun. 29, 2026

As for the Gulf States, Zelensky said he hoped for their help defending Ukraine against Russia.

From BBC May 2, 2026

Robert Mogielnicki, of the Arab Gulf States Institute in Paris, said that building new pipelines "will take time" and such infrastructure would "still possess vulnerabilities".

From Barron's May 1, 2026

“There is clearly a need to at least manage the spending going forward and not be as ambitious,” said Tim Callen, a visiting fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute.

From The Wall Street Journal Apr. 18, 2026

North America, west to the Plains; breeds from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and northern Illinois, north to Labrador and Manitoba; winters from Kansas, southern Illinois, and Massachusetts to Gulf States.

From Color Key to North American Birds with bibiographical appendix by Chapman, Frank M.

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training