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.

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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

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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.

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Gulf Stream Cultural  

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

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Example Sentences

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

Because climate change transforms the ocean currents like the Labrador Current, the warm Gulf Stream is expanding and prompting many North Atlantic fish species to leave their traditional habitats.

From Salon • Jan. 26, 2024

A few miles away it was joined to the ocean, so that its movements were governed by unimaginable factors like the Gulf Stream, the Polar Ice Cap, and the moon.

From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles