1
as in bay
a part of a body of water that extends beyond the general shoreline
we dipped our feet in the warm waters of the gulf
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2
as in abyss
an immeasurable depth or space
the gulf of understanding between the two men was too wide for them to ever get along
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3
as in canyon
a narrow opening between hillsides or mountains that can be used for passage
the gulf was too wide to cross, so we had to hike down into it and go through it
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4
as in gap
an open space in a barrier (as a wall or hedge)
a wide gulf in the defensive wall meant the city was in grave danger
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as in to flood
to cover with a flood
with the administration gulfed by so many real problems, it's absurd for the president to concern himself with this nonissue
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of gulf
Adam Mills, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
China limits European equipment in telecoms infrastructure China is reportedly limiting the use of European equipment in its telecoms infrastructure, pointing to a deepening technological gulf between Beijing and the West.
—Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 6 Oct. 2025
Ferris Jabr, Smithsonian, 8 Jan. 2018
Read More: Gulf Spat Escalates as Saudi Arabia, U.A.E. Media Attack Qatar
Institutional and individual investors from the GCC sold 34.6 million riyals ($9.5 million) of Qatari stocks on Monday, the most in a single trading session since March 21.
—Glen Carey, Bloomberg.com, 30 May 2017
See All Example Sentences for gulf
Noun
The gulf between pilots and scale is one of the defining stories of AI today.
—Adam Mills, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
China limits European equipment in telecoms infrastructure China is reportedly limiting the use of European equipment in its telecoms infrastructure, pointing to a deepening technological gulf between Beijing and the West.
—Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 6 Oct. 2025
Verb
So many gulfs separate us now: geographical, anatomical, psychological.
—Ferris Jabr, Smithsonian, 8 Jan. 2018
Read More: Gulf Spat Escalates as Saudi Arabia, U.A.E. Media Attack Qatar
Institutional and individual investors from the GCC sold 34.6 million riyals ($9.5 million) of Qatari stocks on Monday, the most in a single trading session since March 21.
—Glen Carey, Bloomberg.com, 30 May 2017
See All Example Sentences for gulf
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gulf
Noun
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Passengers riding the San Francisco Bay Ferry this month are getting more than the usual sweeping views of the bay, as live music is now part of the experience through a new onboard entertainment program.—
Loureen Ayyoub,
CBS News,
10 Jan. 2026
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Howze can be seen on video walking into the woman’s hospital bay, which was secured by curtains.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Some players should be allowed to spin their wheels in the abyss, so if that’s what Antetokounmpo wants to do, then let him.—
Law Murray,
New York Times,
5 Jan. 2026
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Kicked out, Eleven and Kali head to the abyss instead, joining the others to fight Vecna there.—
Yohana Desta,
Rolling Stone,
4 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Continue reading … TRAGEDY STRIKES – Helicopter crash kills Arizona man and 3 nieces on wedding day after canyon collision.—
,
FOXNews.com,
5 Jan. 2026
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Two men convicted of the 2021 fatal shooting of a man whose body was found near a City Heights canyon trail were sentenced Monday to life in prison without the possibility of parole.—
City News Service,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Jan. 2026
Noun
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City officials say Tuesday's fire underscores the ongoing risks at the site and reinforces their call for broader state-level reform to address enforcement gaps at mobile home parks.—
Nina Burns,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
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Of course, choosing an insurance option that balances financial constraints with solid coverage is by no means simple, and many owners purchase policies that either cost more than necessary or have coverage gaps.—
Ethan M. Stone,
Miami Herald,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Don’t want tender young shoots popping out when another polar vortex is right around the corner.—
Paul Cappiello,
Louisville Courier Journal,
9 Jan. 2026
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In these cases, the equations will predict a fluid moving in some unphysical, incomprehensible way — spinning into an impossibly fast vortex, for instance, or instantly reversing its flow.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The post was flooded with support from both fans and celebrities.—
Catherine Santino,
PEOPLE,
6 Jan. 2026
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Beijing will keep trying to export its way out, flooding global markets—an approach that most trading partners may absorb this year but won’t tolerate forever.—
Ian Bremmer,
Time,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The Chesapeake Bay—the largest estuary in the continental United States—used to be packed with oysters, more than anyone today might imagine.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
31 Oct. 2025
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Mangroves exist in the intertidal zones of warm rivers, estuaries and bays, growing in the sediment brought to the coast by the freshwater rivers and tides, according to the Australia Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.—
Irene Wright,
Miami Herald,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Remain out of the water to avoid hazardous surf and NEVER turn your back on the ocean.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
10 Jan. 2026
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The iceberg sat in the shallow water of the Weddell Sea in the Southern Ocean for more than 30 years before breaking free in 2020 and into an ocean whirlpool for several months.—
Brie Stimson,
FOXNews.com,
10 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gulf.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gulf. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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