gull

[ guhl ]

See synonyms for gull on Thesaurus.com

noun

any of numerous long-winged, web-toed, aquatic birds of the family Laridae, having usually white plumage with a gray back and wings.

Origin of gull

1400–50; late Middle English gulle, perhaps <Welsh gŵylan,Cornish guilan (compare French goéland<Breton gwelan)

Other words from gull

gull-like, adjective

Other definitions for gull (2 of 2)

gull²

[ guhl ]

verb (used with object)

to deceive, trick, or cheat.

noun

a person who is easily deceived or cheated; dupe.

Origin of gull

First recorded in 1540–50; perhaps akin to obsolete gull to swallow, guzzle

Other words for gull

1	cozen, dupe, fool, bamboozle, hoodwink

See synonyms for gull on Thesaurus.com

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use gull in a sentence

And they sound like gulls, you know, when they sit and gossip in a bar together.
Russia’s Gold Digger Academy | Peter Pomerantsev | November 11, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Tokyo Bay is “a black expanse where gulls wheeled above drifting shoals of white Styrofoam.”
American Dreams: Did William Gibson’s ‘Neuromancer’ Blueprint Our Reality? | Nathaniel Rich | October 5, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The banks were frequented by gulls and sandpipers, of which many were shot.
Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia] [Volume 2 of 2] | Phillip Parker King
He saw the swans floating like bundles of dry paper, he saw the whirling sea-gulls, he obtained his former room.
The Wave | Algernon Blackwood
They both consist of naked, inhospitable masses of rock, and serve at most as resting places for a few gulls.
A Woman's Journey Round the World | Ida Pfeiffer

Then with superb curves the lovely gulls swept round, and remained delicately poised over the stern.
The Chequers | James Runciman
It was an immense flight of gulls, seamews, and cormorants; a vast multitude of affrighted sea birds.
Toilers of the Sea | Victor Hugo

British Dictionary definitions for gull (1 of 2)

gull¹

/ (ɡʌl) /

noun

any aquatic bird of the genus Larus and related genera, such as L. canus (common gull or mew) having long pointed wings, short legs, and a mostly white plumage: family Laridae, order Charadriiformes: Related adjective: larine

Origin of gull

C15: of Celtic origin; compare Welsh gwylan

Derived forms of gull

gull-like, adjective

British Dictionary definitions for gull (2 of 2)

gull²

/ (ɡʌl) archaic /

noun

a person who is easily fooled or cheated

verb

(tr) to fool, cheat, or hoax

Origin of gull

C16: perhaps from dialect gull unfledged bird, probably from gul, from Old Norse gulr yellow

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Browse