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• gulf
  gulf

  noun

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

  noun

  the Persian Gulf

gulf

American  

[guhlf] / gʌlf /

noun

gulfs plural

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.

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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

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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

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gulf Scientific  

/ gŭlf /

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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• gulflike
  adjective
• gulfy
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• gulfs
  plural

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

See Examples For:

gulf Gulf gulfs

Jamal Sellami, Jordan's head coach, gave a reason for the huge gulf in performance.

From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026

But it will likely take until October for Iraq, Kuwait and other gulf countries that had to slash production to pump oil at full speed, analysts said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

“A flurry of tankers have taken the chance to exit the gulf through the Strait of Hormuz, as Iran loosens its grip on the key waterway under conditions stipulated under the agreement,” the analysts add.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026

"This is considered the world's most luxurious plane," Trump said at a speech inside the plane's hangar, praising the gulf emirate for being "so nice and providing" it.

From Barron's ● Jun. 19, 2026

This lower stretch of the river, from Hoover Dam to the gulf, has little in common with the unbridled torrent that explodes through the Grand Canyon, some 250 miles upstream from Topock.

From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer

Tehran said in turn it would stop its retaliatory attacks on regional neighbours, handing Gulf shipping and the oil industry a respite.

From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026

As summer heat settles over the Southwest, it changes the circulation in the atmosphere enough to pull up monsoonal moisture from the Pacific and Gulf of California, fueling warm rain and thunderstorms.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026

Gulf states aren’t the only ones conferring with the White House.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

Plus, warplanes from Bahrain and Kuwait struck Iran in a rare Gulf retaliation, and a massive rustic lodge built for an equally large family is for sale.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026

It was also released at a time when a Gulf war was brewing and when there were no other representations of Iranians in TV shows and movies.

From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi

The Strait of Hormuz has been a critical trading entrepôt for centuries, a passageway between the Persian and Oman gulfs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 14, 2026

England have contributed to the biggest gulfs, beating Italy 74-0 and Ireland 69-0 in 2022.

From BBC ● Mar. 24, 2023

We are connected, but the fact that we’re so disconnected in so many different ways, just trying to remind each other that with all of those gulfs, there is a way back.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 13, 2022

The other two spawn in the spring in either the central Baltic or its gulfs farther north.

From Science Magazine ● Nov. 1, 2022

I wanted to someday be an artist for VR environments, create the spaces where you jump in free fall and spin and fire into surprising gulfs.

From "Landscape with Invisible Hand" by M.T. Anderson