gulf

1 of 2

noun

ˈgəlf 

1

: a part of an ocean or sea extending into the land

2

: a deep chasm : abyss

3

: whirlpool

4

: a wide gap

the gulf between generations

gulf

2 of 2

verb

gulfed; gulfing; gulfs

transitive verb

: engulf

Synonyms of gulf

Noun

• bay
• estuary
• cove
• firth

Verb

• flood
• engulf
• overwhelm

Examples of gulf in a Sentence

Noun

we dipped our feet in the warm waters of the gulf

the gulf of understanding between the two men was too wide for them to ever get along

Verb

with the administration gulfed by so many real problems, it's absurd for the president to concern himself with this nonissue

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The Azzurri enter their final batch of pool fixtures at three points off Norway in Group I, not to mention what’s likely an insurmountable gulf in goal difference playing in Norway’s favor. —Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Nov. 2025

Worse, slanting political lines so that one party or the other is guaranteed victory only widens the gulf that has helped turn Washington’s into its current slough of dysfunction. —Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 8 Nov. 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

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English goulf, from Middle French golfe, from Italian golfo, from Late Latin colpus, from Greek kolpos bosom, gulf; akin to Old English hwealf vault, Old High German walbo

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1807, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for gulf

• gulph
• engulf

Kids Definition

gulf

noun

ˈgəlf

1

: a part of an ocean or sea extending into the land

2

: a deep hollow in the earth : chasm, abyss

3

: a difference between two people, groups, or things