gull

1 of 3

noun (1)

: any of numerous long-winged web-footed aquatic birds (subfamily Larinae of the family Laridae)
especially : a usually gray and white bird (especially of the genus Larus) differing from a tern in usually larger size, stouter build, thicker somewhat hooked bill, less pointed wings, and short unforked tail

gull

2 of 3

verb

gulled; gulling; gulls

transitive verb

: to take advantage of (one who is foolish or unwary) : deceive

gull

3 of 3

noun (2)

: a person who is easily deceived or cheated : dupe

Examples of gull in a Sentence

Verb we were gulled into believing that if we answered the e-mail, we'd somehow become millionaires, but instead we just got put on a list for junk mail
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Some of the more locally rare gulls and terns often can be found at this time of the summer through the end of September. Taylor Piephoff, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024 Tippi Hedren stars in this masterpiece of the Nature Run Amok subgenre, playing a socialite whose romance with a handsome lawyer is rudely interrupted by a gaggle of gulls (not to mention a murder of crows) who collectively decide to turn on humanity all at once. Katie Rife, EW.com, 19 Oct. 2023 Whitecaps seethed and simmered on the ocean; gulls somersaulted in the squally air. Aaron Hicklin, Travel + Leisure, 19 Jan. 2024 The only thing that came ashore, besides the gulls that flit about on East Brother and its smaller sibling, the undeveloped West Brother Island, was Foregger the next morning, when the weather cleared. Sacramento Bee, 30 Jan. 2024 Shoppers can pick up a pair in sizes XXS–XL in 25 colors including deep red and gull gray. Monica Bell, Peoplemag, 29 Jan. 2024 And unsurprisingly, his tip works: When the orchestra resumes and the strings come sentimentally swooping in like gulls over the harbor, the music as a whole just sounds (how to say this?) readier. Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 23 Sep. 2023 Anyone who’s ever watched an Alfred Hitchcock film—seen Tippi Hedren clawed to pieces by dozens of gulls and ravens or Janet Leigh repeatedly stabbed in the shower—would have to wonder about the director’s attitude toward women. Matthew Specktor, The Atlantic, 9 Nov. 2023 Cape Cod: An adult Franklin’s gull at Race Point in Provincetown, 43 red-necked phalaropes, 24 late black-legged kittiwakes, three Arctic terns, a black tern, and a late razorbill. BostonGlobe.com, 10 June 2023
Verb
People will be gulled into coughing up their life savings, playing unwitting roles in scams, or joining toxic movements. Rob Reid, Ars Technica, 24 Feb. 2023 The fantasy that the privileged are easily gulled has a powerful lure. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 18 Nov. 2023 Scarcely a week into the tenure of House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), and his view of American voters and the press as dimwits to be gulled is becoming clearer with every day. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2023 That’s because the agency’s duty is to stand in the way of businesses desiring to push unsafe and ineffective nostrums at unwary consumers, and also in the way of a perverse idea that personal freedom includes the freedom to be gulled by charlatans. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2023 O’Rourke is the underdog in his race against Republican Abbott, who has been casting the Democrat as a flip-flopper who is trying to gull Texas voters. Dallas News, 2 Apr. 2022 Following their successful effort to gull California voters into endorsing their method of exploiting their drivers and field workers, Uber, Lyft and other gig companies expanded their campaign to gut labor protections into other states. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 15 June 2022 Instead of clearly setting the record straight, Abbott and other Texas leaders have allowed Trump to continue to gull Texans about last year’s elections. Dallas News, 4 Oct. 2021 The idea was that Biden would be too experienced, too grounded in reality, too committed to the truth out of principle, too respectful of the American public to paint rosy scenarios to try to gull Americans into an unwarranted optimism. Rich Lowry, National Review, 20 Aug. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gull.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, of Celtic origin; akin to Welsh gwylan gull

Verb

obsolete gull gullet, from Middle English golle, from Anglo-French gule, gole

First Known Use

Noun (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

circa 1550, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1594, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gull was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near gull

Cite this Entry

“Gull.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gull. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

gull

1 of 3 noun
: any of numerous mostly white or gray birds that have long wings and webbed feet and are typically found near water

gull

2 of 3 verb
: to take advantage of : deceive

gull

3 of 3 noun
: a person easily deceived or cheated : dupe
Etymology

Noun

Middle English gull "gull"; of Celtic origin

Verb

from obsolete English gull "gullet"

More from Merriam-Webster on gull

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