gulf

American  

[guhlf] / gʌlf /

noun

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

2. a deep hollow; chasm or abyss.

   Synonyms:

   split, rift, cleft, gully, gorge, canyon

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

4. something that engulfs or swallows up.

---

verb (used with object)

1. to swallow up; engulf.

gulf ¹ British  

/ ɡʌlf /

noun

1. a large deep bay

2. a deep chasm

3. something that divides or separates, such as a lack of understanding

4. something that engulfs, such as a whirlpool

---

verb

1. (tr) to swallow up; engulf

Gulf ² British  

/ ɡʌlf /

noun

1. the Persian Gulf

2. 1. the Gulf of Carpentaria

   2. (modifier) of, relating to, or adjoining the Gulf

      Gulf country

3. the Hauraki Gulf

---

gulf Scientific  

/ gŭlf /

1. A large body of ocean or sea water that is partly surrounded by land.

---

Other Word Forms

• gulflike adjective
• gulfy adjective

Etymology

Origin of gulf

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

Explanation

Deep, wide and often filled with water, a gulf is any vast and seemingly unbridgeable area. You've probably heard of the Gulf of Mexico, that large body of water that's partly surrounded by land. But a gulf doesn't have to be all about the ocean. If two people have vastly different cultures or opinions, you could say that there's a gulf between them — a large divide that neither side is willing or able to cross.

Example Sentences

Their options include military countermeasures as well as building pipelines to bypass the gulf.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

And then there is the deep gulf in understanding and trust which leads many to be sceptical.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

Iran has fired more drones and missiles at Israel and gulf Arab countries as it keeps up pressure on the Middle East.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 10, 2026

The conflict around the Persian gulf is also impacting the natural gas market, with benchmark European prices surging to their highest in about three years after Iranian attacks caused the shutdown of Qatari production.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 3, 2026

But when the fifth day came, as we sailed closer toward the Tientsin gulf, the waters changed from muddy yellow to black and the boat began to rock and groan.

From "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan