deep

adjective \ ˈdēp \

|Updated on: 10 Aug 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: deep in a Sentence

Definition of deep

1 : extending far from some surface or area: such as

a : extending far downward

a deep well

a deep chasm

b (1) : extending well inward from an outer surface

a deep gash

a deep-chested animal

(2) : not located superficially within the body

deep pressure receptors in muscles

c : extending well back from a surface accepted as front

a deep closet

d : extending far laterally from the center

deep borders of lace

e sports : occurring or located near the outer limits of the playing area

hit to deep right field

f sports : thrown or hit for a considerable distance : thrown or hit deep (see ²deep 3b)

a deep pass

a deep fly ball

2 : having a specified extension in an implied direction usually downward or backward

a shelf 20 inches deep

cars parked three-deep

3 a : difficult to penetrate or comprehend : recondite

deep mathematical problems

deep discussions on the meaning of life

b : mysterious, obscure

a deep dark secret

c : grave or lamentable in nature or effect

in deepest disgrace

d : of penetrating intellect : wise

a deep thinker

e : intensely engrossed or immersed

she was deep in her book

f : characterized by profundity of feeling or quality

a deep sleep

; also : deep-seated

deep religious beliefs

4 a of color : high in saturation and low in lightness

a deep red

b : having a low musical pitch (see ⁴pitch 4b) or pitch range

a deep voice

5 a : situated well within the boundaries

a house deep in the woods

b : remote in time or space

found deep in rural England

c : being below the level of consciousness

deep neuroses

d : covered, enclosed, or filled to a specified degree —usually used in combination

ankle-deep in mud

6 : large

deep discounts

7 : having many good players

a deep bull pen

—

deeply

adverb

—

deepness

noun

— in deep water

: in difficulty or distress

See deep defined for English-language learners

See deep defined for kids

Examples of deep in a Sentence

We walked in the deep snow.
a deep valley between the mountains
The water is deepest in the middle of the lake.
She's afraid of swimming in deep water.
a plant with deep roots
The house has lots of deep closets.
She has a small but deep wound on her arm.
This enormous canyon is over a mile deep.
The shelves are 10 inches deep.
He stepped into an ankle-deep puddle of mud.

Recent Examples of deep from the Web

Coral reefs aren't getting enough bird poop Hungry for even more deep-dives on your next favorite topic?

— scott thurm, WIRED, "Microsoft Calls For Federal Regulation of Facial Recognition," 13 July 2018
Working during the South Pole summer, when the sun never sets and temperatures hover at a balmy negative 18 degrees Fahrenheit, scientists and engineers melted dozens of mile-deep holes in the ice and dropped strings of spherical sensors into them.

— author: sarah kaplan, Anchorage Daily News, "In a cosmic first, scientists detect ‘ghost particles’ from a distant galaxy," 12 July 2018
Working during the South Pole summer, when the sun never sets and temperatures hover at a balmy negative 18 degrees Fahrenheit, scientists and engineers melted dozens of mile-deep holes in the ice and dropped strings of spherical sensors into them.

— sarah kaplan, chicagotribune.com, "In a cosmic first, scientists detect 'ghost particles' from a distant galaxy," 12 July 2018
That was exactly the same amount of time Nadal required to defeat Federer in their epic 2008 final played in sunlight and deep shadow on this same stretch of grass.

— christopher clarey, New York Times, "On a Wild Day at Wimbledon, Federer Exits and Nadal Hangs On," 11 July 2018
New York’s is powerful, with deep roots — but often lazy, a laziness that sometimes seems intentional, in light of the low voter turnout that results.

— danielle tcholakian, Longreads, "An Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Reading List," 10 July 2018
Everyone’s eyes were turned to deep dark shadows by the sickly yellow glow, and everyone was stepping slow and dreamy-like.

— andrew liptak, The Verge, "A transgender girl rises up against alien invaders in Rich Larson’s novel Annex," 8 July 2018
Both women have deep roots in Houston and both worked within the Houston Independent School District.

— elizabeth myong, Houston Chronicle, "AKA sorority sisters serve the Houston community," 7 July 2018
Profar is from the Curacao, a tiny Caribbean island off the coast of Venezuela with deep Dutch roots.

— stefan stevenson, star-telegram, "Rangers Reaction: Pitching duel helps breeze past the offense," 6 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'deep.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of deep

Middle English dep, from Old English dēop; akin to Old High German tiof deep, Old English dyppan to dip — more at dip

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

deep Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of deep

broad, wide, deep mean having horizontal extent. broad and wide apply to a surface measured or viewed from side to side.

- a broad avenue

wide is more common when units of measurement are mentioned

- rugs eight feet wide

or applied to unfilled space between limits.

- a wide doorway

broad is preferred when full horizontal extent is considered.

- broad shoulders

deep may indicate horizontal extent away from the observer or from a front or peripheral point.

- a deep cupboard
- deep woods

Other Anatomy Terms

bilateral symmetry, carotid, cartilage, dorsal, entrails, prehensile, renal, solar plexus, supine, thoracic, ventral

deep

adverb

Definition of deep

1 : to a great depth : deeply

still waters run deep

tunneled deep into the earth

2 : far on : late

danced deep into the night

3 sports

a : near the outer limits of the playing area

the shortstop was playing deep

b : long 6

threw deep to the wide receiver

hit the ball deep to right field

See deep defined for English-language learners

Examples of deep in a Sentence

The ship now lies deep below the water's surface.
Our feet sank deeper into the mud.
The treasure was buried deep within the ground.
Their secret offices were located deep underground.
We walked deep into the forest.
The soldiers are operating deep within enemy territory.
I stood three feet deep in the water.
He stepped ankle-deep into a puddle of mud.

Recent Examples of deep from the Web

Like the Spetsnaz, the military’s signals intelligence units have a storied history stretching deep into the Cold War.

— andrew e. kramer, New York Times, "G.R.U., Russian Spy Agency Cited by Mueller, Casts a Long Shadow," 13 July 2018
The observatory spans one cubic kilometer of ice and consists of 5,160 sensors strung along cables and sunk deep into the ice.

— mark johnson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Blazing a trail: UW professor's dream leads to breakthrough in identifying origin of cosmic rays," 12 July 2018
Now researchers sent a pulse of blue laser light deep into the animals’ ears.

— justin chen, STAT, "Pulses of light restored hearing in gerbils. Could that lead to higher-tech cochlear implants?," 11 July 2018
Once a wealthy oil nation, Venezuela in the last five years has spiraled deep into a political and economic chaos under Maduro’s rule.

— Washington Post, "Mexico’s new president could help ease pressure on Venezuela," 9 July 2018
Despite all the classic-rock hit parades on tour this summer, there's no rule requiring musicians to be stagnant deep into their careers.

— david lindquist, Indianapolis Star, "Four ways Dave Matthews Band played a youthful 39th show at Ruoff amphitheater," 7 July 2018
Yet one suspects that the Lakers, deep down, realize this was as much (if not more) about Tinseltown’s magic dust than Magic’s.

— marc stein, New York Times, "LeBron James to the Lakers: There’s Much to Unpack Here," 2 July 2018
Thai soldiers carry hose deep into the Tham Luang cave to pump out water at the Khun Nam Nang Non Forest Park in Chiang Rai on June 27, 2018 during a rescue operation for a missing children's football team and their coach.

— Time, "'Happy as I Could Be in the World.' What It Was Like in Thailand When Rescuers Found the Soccer Team Trapped in a Cave," 2 July 2018
This tour will take you deep into the interior of the swamp.

— helena oliviero, ajc, "Plan your trip: A guide to the Okefenokee swamp," 2 July 2018

Origin and Etymology of deep

see ¹deep

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

deep

noun

Definition of deep

1 a : a vast or immeasurable extent : abyss

b (1) : the extent of surrounding space or time

the azure deep

(2) nautical : ocean

the briny deep

2 : any of the deep portions of a body of water; specifically : a generally long and narrow area in the ocean where the depth exceeds 3000 fathoms (5500 meters)

the Aldrich Deep in the south Pacific

3 : the middle or most intense part

in the deep of winter

4 nautical : any of the fathom points on a sounding line other than the marks (see ¹mark 2b)

See deep defined for English-language learners

Examples of deep in a Sentence

the kind of cold weather that we usually have only in the deep of winter
sailors exploring the farther reaches of the briny deep

Recent Examples of deep from the Web

For one, the speaker is mostly treated as an iOS ecosystem accessory, like the AirPods, that works best only for those deep within Apple’s walled garden.

— nick statt, The Verge, "Apple sold an estimated 600,000 HomePods in the first quarter of the year," 17 May 2018
In the 1970s, local preference shifted to the larger fish of the deeps, above all ahi (yellowfin tuna), typically anointed with shoyu (Japanese soy sauce) instead of sea salt.

— author: ligaya mishan, Anchorage Daily News, "Heading home to Hawaii in search of poke," 10 Jan. 2018
Virginia will have a young defense, and Louisville will bring a deep, experienced receiving group.

— jake lourim, The Courier-Journal, "How Louisville football can (and can't) beat Virginia," 5 July 2018
Water in the cave is reportedly knee-deep, but is neck-deep in the chamber.

— nicole darrah, Fox News, "Trapped Thai soccer team entered cave for 'initiation' ritual, rescuer says," 3 July 2018
Dead ahead the waves had parted to reveal a man neck-deep in the water.

— earl swift, Outside Online, "The Incredible True Story of the Henrietta C.," 20 June 2018
Bennett’s friendship with S.F. runs deeps: As mayor, Sen. Dianne Feinstein saved the cable cars with Bennett celebrating alongside her.

— catherine bigelow, San Francisco Chronicle, "Honorary San Franciscan Tony Bennett now has his own street," 11 June 2018
Mi Nuevo Nayarit This mariscos joint might not be among the city’s best, but the value of a place serving solid Mexican seafood deep into the night on the west side of town can’t be understated.

— dominic armato, azcentral, "10 best late night Phoenix restaurants: Great pizza, burgers, Asian, comfort food," 8 June 2018
The animal was hustled into the back of a police cruiser and deposited by Czech deep into Pennypack Park.

— mike newall, Philly.com, "The Ballad of the Game Warden and the South Philly Coyote | Mike Newall," 27 Apr. 2018

Origin and Etymology of deep

see ¹deep

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

deep Synonyms

Synonyms

abysm, abyss, chasm, gulf, ocean;

Related Words

cleft, crevasse, crevice, fissure;

cavern, hole, hollow, pit;

breadth, expanse, extent, reach, spread, stretch;

black hole, emptiness, nothingness, vacancy, vacuum, void;

DEEP Defined for English Language Learners

deep

adjective

Definition of deep for English Language Learners

: having a large distance to the bottom from the surface or highest point
: going far inward from the outside or the front edge of something
: located far inside something

deep

adverb

Definition of deep for English Language Learners

: far into or below the surface of something
: far into or inside something
: at a specified measurement downward, inward, or backward

DEEP Defined for Kids

deep

adjective \ ˈdēp \

Definition of deep for Students

deeper; deepest

1 : reaching far down below the surface

2 : reaching far inward or back from the front or outer part

a deep cut

a deep closet

3 : located well below the surface or well within the boundaries of

deep in the ground

4 : coming from well within

a deep sigh

5 : completely absorbed

deep in thought

6 : hard to understand

This story is too deep for me.

7 : mysterious

a deep, dark secret

8 : extreme in degree : heavy

a deep sleep

9 : dark and rich in color

a deep red

10 : low in tone

a deep voice

—

deeply

adverb

deep

adverb

Definition of deep for Students

deeper; deepest

1 : to a great depth : deeply

2 : ²late 1

She read deep into the night.

deep

noun

Definition of deep for Students

1 : a very deep place or part

the ocean deeps

2 : ocean 1

Pirates sailed the briny deep.

3 : the middle or most intense part

the deep of winter

Medical Dictionary

deep

adjective \ ˈdēp \

medical Definition of deep

1 a : extending well inward from an outer surface

a deep gash

b (1) : not located superficially within the body or one of its parts

deep pressure receptors in muscles

(2) : resulting from or involving stimulation of deep structures

deep pain

deep reflexes

2 : being below the level of the conscious

deep neuroses

—

deeply

adverb

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