deep

play

adjective \ ˈdēp \

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

Brat said that if tax-code changes are proceeding and contain deep rate cuts, he could be persuaded to vote for a combination fiscal deal.

— erik wasson, Bloomberg.com, "Harvey May Spur Congress to Avoid Shutdown, Debt-Ceiling Fights," 30 Aug. 2017
Think about the lives tragically lost and the vulnerable nursing home residents sitting in waist-deep water waiting to be rescued.

— ken berlin, Fortune, "Why Storms Like Harvey Could Become the New Normal," 29 Aug. 2017
Because the DLPFC is known to connect extensively to deeper brain areas that imaging studies have shown to be underactive in people addicted to cocaine, the trial aims to stimulate the region.

— meredith wadman, Science | AAAS, "Brain-altering magnetic pulses could zap cocaine addiction," 29 Aug. 2017
There's another freeway on-ramp pooled in water too deep to ford.

— matt pearce, latimes.com, "On the road in Texas, where all the roads look like rivers," 29 Aug. 2017
Hoskins hit a two-run blast to deep left in the bottom of the first that left the bat at 102 mph and traveled 417 feet.

— dan gartland, SI.com, "Watch: Rhys Hoskins Launches Record 10th Home Run in 17 Games," 26 Aug. 2017
Assuming the meter face is removed, wear chest waders even if the water is only, say, knee-deep, and bring a bright flashlight.

— Popular Mechanics, "How to Evacuate Before a Storm or Flood," 25 Aug. 2017
Bell, one of the team’s top prospects, had an impressive preseason camp and appeared to be in the rotation at safety, and likely would’ve been on the two-deep at either safety or cornerback when it’s released Monday.

— don markus, baltimoresun.com, "Maryland's Markquese Bell, Alex Woods benched for violating code of conduct," 25 Aug. 2017
Krauskopf said the 2018 draft, in which the Fever will try to find their Andrew Luck, is a deep one.

— david woods, Indianapolis Star, "From almost first to almost worst: Here's what happened to Indiana Fever," 22 Aug. 2017

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

See Words from the same year

deep Synonyms

Synonyms

abysmal, bottomless, profound

Antonyms

shallow, shoal, skin-deep, superficial, surface

Related Words

abyssal, unfathomable; boundless, endless, immeasurable, inestimable, infinite, limitless, measureless, unlimited, vast

Near Antonyms

depthless, two-dimensional; even, flat, flush, horizontal, level, plane, smooth; confined, finite, limited, measured, restricted

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

Israel blames Hamas for Gaza’s woes, saying its tough policies are a response to the group’s attempts to build cross-border attack tunnels and its development of rockets capable of striking deep into Israel.

— adel hana, The Seattle Times, "UN chief decries ‘dramatic’ humanitarian crisis in Gaza," 30 Aug. 2017
Then, the solid carbon and hydrogen crystals fall deep into the interior of the planets.

— avery thompson, Popular Mechanics, "Scientists Simulate Neptune's Mythical Diamond Rain," 21 Aug. 2017
The broad center console has an open bin with a 12-volt plug for charging and a central controller to dig deep into music, phone, navi and other car settings.

— mark maynard, sandiegouniontribune.com, "2017 Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring," 18 Aug. 2017
V.F. contributor Alex Suskind dove deep into the phenomenon’s origins in this absorbing feature, tracking down everyone from programming execs to the masterminds behind that iconic orange couch.

— rebecca keegan, vanityfair.com, "The Academy’s New President Speaks," 15 Aug. 2017
V.F. contributor Alex Suskind dove deep into the phenomenon’s origins in this absorbing feature, tracking down everyone from programming execs to the masterminds behind that iconic orange couch.

— rebecca keegan, HWD, "The Academy’s New President Speaks," 15 Aug. 2017
The water, while not particularly deep there, was murky and moving faster than usual following a storm.

— bill bird, Naperville Sun, "Naperville Park District officials salute 2 employees, city police sergeant," 11 Aug. 2017
In the 1600s, Northern Mexico’s indigenous Tarahumara tribe escaped Spanish incursions by moving deep into the rugged Sierra Madre.

— aaron gilbreath, Longreads, "Exploiting Mexico’s Indigenous People to Get the West Its Drugs," 9 Aug. 2017
Franken was a master of filler, starring in the segments buried deep in the show when the audience was falling asleep or turning off the TV.

— kyle smith, National Review, "Al Franken, Un-Funny Man of the Senate," 7 Aug. 2017

Origin and Etymology of deep

see ¹deep

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

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

Along with Scott at cornerback, five other true freshmen cracked the two-deep: Hunter Rison and Cody White at wide receiver, Kevin Jarvis at right guard and Jordan Reid at right tackle.

— chris solari, Detroit Free Press, "Michigan State football unveils depth chart; Demetrius Cooper not a starter," 29 Aug. 2017
The Twitter account for the center’s emergency management office reported that water in the neighborhood was knee-deep in some streets and inundating many sidewalks.

— sarah kaplan, sacbee, "NASA’s Johnson Space Center closes amid Harvey’s brutal winds and rain," 28 Aug. 2017
In Dickinson, TX, more than a dozen nursing home residents were stuck as floodwaters rose, submerged waist-deep in the water.

— jennifer calfas, Time, "Here's Footage of Rescuers Saving People From the Disastrous Impact of Hurricane Harvey," 28 Aug. 2017
Linemen: UW has a deep, experienced unit with senior ends Conor Sheehy, Alec James and Chikwe Obasih leading the way.

— jeff potrykus, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Badgers have a few areas of concern, plenty in reserve," 13 Aug. 2017
That’s pretty much how everyone watches movies, preferably with one hand deep in a box of popcorn, the other shooting M&M’s straight into their beaks; eventually it all gets washed down with a chemical waterfall of soda or a day-glo slushie.

— yohana desta, HWD, "Theater Owners Aren’t Going to Take F.D.A. Regulations Sitting Down," 10 Aug. 2017
Grilli said a misperception is that ticks are only in the deeps woods.

— dennis hohenberger, Courant Community, "Group Hosts Lyme Disease Workshop," 9 Aug. 2017
But don't overstate a player who has to go this deep into the offseason in search of work at the veteran minimum.

— ira winderman, Sun-Sentinel.com, "ASK IRA: Is Josh Richardson worth as much as Matthew Dellavedova?," 9 Aug. 2017
For some teams, digging this deep into the bench would be worrisome at this point of the season.

— julia b. poe, Philly.com, "Union travel to Columbus for doubleheader against the Crew," 21 July 2017

Origin and Etymology of deep

see ¹deep

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

deep Synonyms

Synonyms

thick, depth, height, middle, midst

Related Words

center, heart

DEEP Defined for English Language Learners

deep

play

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

play

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

play

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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deep

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deep

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deeply

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