Jump To:

• 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.

---

verb (used with object)

1. to swallow up; engulf.

Gulf ¹ 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 ² 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 Scientific  

/ gŭlf /

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

---

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

It's also the gulf between what he has endured and those doing everything possible to avoid the same.

From BBC ● 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

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

Ernest had pressed Oppie to return to Berkeley after the war, but their wartime experiences had widened their personal differences into a gulf.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

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

In the northern U.S., it portends unusually dry and warm weather, while the Gulf and Southeast states experience abnormally wet weather.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026

They threaten American bases across the region and can destroy the desalination plants that make life in the Gulf states’ bustling cities possible.

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

While McNamara crossed the Potomac into Washington, the action in the Gulf of Tonkin continued.

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin

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

But wide gulfs remain between the government’s proposals and UC.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2025

"It does give me confidence because I think the problem before was that I felt like I was gulfs away from the very top."

From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2025

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

From Washington Post ● Feb. 8, 2023

She could feel the emptiness, the vast black gulfs of air that yawned around her.

From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin