deep

adjective

\ ˈdēp

Definition of deep

(Entry 1 of 3)

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 deep entry 2 sense 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

3a : 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

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

b : having a low musical pitch (see pitch entry 4 sense 4b) or pitch range a deep voice

5a : 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

in deep water

: in difficulty or distress

deep

adverb

Definition of deep (Entry 2 of 3)

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 sense 6 threw deep to the wide receiver hit the ball deep to right field

deep

noun

Definition of deep (Entry 3 of 3)

1a : 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 mark entry 1 sense 2b)

Other Words from deep Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about deep

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Synonyms & Antonyms for deep

Synonyms: Adjective

abysmal, bottomless, profound

Synonyms: Noun

depth, height, middle, midst, thick

Antonyms: Adjective

shallow, shoal, skin-deep, superficial, surface

Choose the Right Synonym for deep

Adjective

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

Examples of deep in a Sentence

Adjective

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.

Adverb

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.

Noun

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 on the Web: Adjective

Homes with long condensate drains and in extremely humid environments (near lakes or the ocean, or anywhere in the deep south) should probably flush out the condensate line every two to three months. — Roy Berendsohn, Popular Mechanics, "The DIY Guide To Fixing Your Leaky Air Conditioner," 15 Mar. 2019 Take a deep breath: Beloved Supreme Court Justice and Academy Award–nominated documentary subject Ruth Bader Ginsburg is back at work two months after undergoing surgery for lung cancer. — Vogue, "Ruth Bader Ginsburg Is Back in Action on the Supreme Court," 19 Feb. 2019 Microsoft has been busy adding intelligence to Office, with innovations like smarter search and Ideas being added to simplify Office’s deep feature set, to video transcription, to the Resume Assistant feature being shown off within the Word video. — Mark Hachman, PCWorld, "Microsoft dismisses Office 2019 as old and dumb in videos promoting Office 365 subscriptions," 6 Feb. 2019 The debate over how the UK and the EU should split up has exposed deep and intractable fault lines in British politics. — Jen Kirby, Vox, "Why Brexit is tearing the United Kingdom apart," 27 Nov. 2018 The deeper and wider your navel is, the more space available for fluff to amass. — Carolyn L. Todd, SELF, "Excuse Me, What Even Is Belly Button Lint?," 1 Mar. 2019 Nude is not one-shade-fits all, and a single beige color is surely not going to complement all deep skin tones. — Maya Allen, Marie Claire, "The 15 Best Black-Owned Beauty Brands I'll Never Stop Talking About," 11 Feb. 2019 The Slate version will offer new decor options with deep, dark tones, and modern, sleek textures. — Megan Barber, Curbed, "This limited edition Airstream touring coach goes all in on luxury," 5 Oct. 2018 Although evidence suggests a growing distance between the father and the son, the jury is still out on how deep the hostility between them was. — David S. Reynolds, WSJ, "‘Becoming Lincoln’ Review: The Center That Held," 15 Feb. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Adverb

Climbing into a helicopter to fly deep into Morocco’s Atlas Mountains, you would be forgiven for forgetting that Duchess Meghan is over seven months pregnant. — Omid Scobie, Harper's BAZAAR, "How Duchess Meghan Won Morocco’s Heart Just Weeks Before Her Due Date," 26 Feb. 2019 And underneath floating leather jockey hats at JW Anderson, there were glassy coifs plastered deep to one side, while at Richard Quinn, shiny strands were parted right down the middle then split at the crown for some serious part play. — Lauren Valenti, Vogue, "5 Beauty Trends That Swept the London Runways This Week," 20 Feb. 2019 Zones: 7 to 9 Little Ollie Montra Dwarf Olive (Olea europaea 'Montra') This dwarf evergreen has deep green leaves with silvery undersides and can be potted or sheared into a hedge. — Arricca Sansone, Country Living, "20 Best Boxwood Shrubs to Plant in Your Garden," 14 Feb. 2019 Only, which dives deep into fashion, floral design, and photography with Vera Wang, Putnam & Putnam, and John Dolan. — Carrie Goldberg, Harper's BAZAAR, "Introducing: BAZAAR Bride—the Ultimate Membership for the Newly-Engaged," 5 Feb. 2019 Part of the problem with studying the region is that much of the important information is buried deep underneath a mile of ice. — Avery Thompson, Popular Mechanics, "Scientists Drilled a Mile-Long Hole in the Antarctic Ice," 28 Jan. 2019 Selvin’s roots in the community run deep—his family first moved to the Limon province from Jamaica in 1918—and his food is a favorite amongst the community (Rohrmoser and Steinvorth have been eating there for years). — Rachel Hahn, Vogue, "An Artists’ Guide to the Paradisiacal Beach Town of Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica," 2 Jan. 2019 Boeing was the primary manufacturer of the International Space Station, and the company is currently building NASA’s next deep-space rocket, the Space Launch System. — Loren Grush, The Verge, "NASA will review workplace safety at SpaceX and Boeing because Elon Musk smoked marijuana," 20 Nov. 2018 Cam, streaming now, takes viewers deep into the webcam world, adding some surreal twists along the way. — Carl Kelsch, Marie Claire, "'Cam' Is the Sex-Positive Horror Movie You Have to See," 24 Dec. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Lauren Theis, a 33-year-old yoga instructor, will lead a group hike Saturday through a trail deep in the New Jersey Pinelands, past stands of Atlantic white cedar, oak and pitch pine — and maybe even a bald eagle nest. — Frank Kummer, Philly.com, "'Forest bathing' aims for a full body and spirit immersion in N.J. Pinelands," 19 Apr. 2018 Lawrence hit Tee Higgins with a 62-yard pass on third-and-14 deep in Tiger territory and Travis Etienne followed with a 17-yard TD run. — Pete Iacobelli, The Seattle Times, "Clemson uses big moments to topple Tide for title," 8 Jan. 2019 That is a huge boon to Charlotte, which may use him as a shooting guard next to Kemba Walker but regardless got great value this deep into the draft. 12. — Benjamin Hoffman, New York Times, "2018 N.B.A. Draft Results: Analysis of Every Pick in Round 1," 21 June 2018 Betty's mom is knee-deep in some bizarre cult called The Farm, Archie's sweating it out in juvie, and a creepy game called Gryphons and Gargoyles is literally killing high schoolers. — Christopher Rosa, Glamour, "Why Is Riverdale So Thirsty This Season?," 31 Oct. 2018 With England and Croatia tied 1-1 deep into extra time, Mandzukic slipped past John Stones and stroked a clinical finish past Pickford to send Croatia to the World Cup Final. — Nihal Kolur, SI.com, "Watch: Croatian Players Celebrate Mandzukic Goal With Photographer," 11 July 2018 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

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.