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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

Jordan grapples with questions similar to those facing its gulf neighbors, all of which rely on the U.S. security umbrella that has exposed their nations to Iranian attack.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

The star was Joao Pedro, who scored a nine-minute hat-trick to help Alonso's side to a 6-4 win against Western Sydney Wanderers in a match that highlighted the gulf between Premier League and A-League teams.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

Away from the crowds, Les Viviers du Pilon offers views over the gulf and fresh seafood, with starters from around $25, and an on-site fish market.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

It was not as humiliating for Wales as the 73-0 record home loss to South Africa in Cardiff last November but the victory highlighted the gulf between the two nations.

From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026

The gulf between the information we publicly proclaim and the information we know to be true is often vast.

From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt

Analysts at Goldman Sachs estimated in a recent note that Persian Gulf oil flows had edged down to 41% of pre-war levels.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026

Kuwait Petroleum and Kuwait Oil signed a $16 billion pipeline-lease agreement with investors led by Blackstone, Brookfield and KKR, a sign that Wall Street investors are still eager to make investments in the Persian Gulf.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

It came as respite for Gulf shipping and the oil industry, with international benchmark Brent dropping six percent to around $86 a barrel.

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

It’s like the pinging of wind chimes at dawn on the Gulf of Mexico combined with the sound of ocean waves against the shore.

From "Odd One Out" by Nic Stone

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

Soaring income inequality and a housing crisis have widened the gulfs between classes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 22, 2023

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

From BBC ● Mar. 24, 2023

Crooms wants to narrow some of those gulfs with the grant.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 8, 2023

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