gulf

1 of 2

noun

ˈgəlf

Synonyms of gulf next

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

: a deep chasm : abyss

: whirlpool

: a wide gap

the gulf between generations

gulf

2 of 2

verb

gulfed; gulfing; gulfs

transitive verb

: engulf

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 Aztecs need to continue positioning themselves to be more attractive to the biggest brokers in football as the gulf between the haves and have-nots widens by the hour. —

Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Nov. 2023 And as the outside world is seized by confusion and terror, the gulf between the men becomes ever more pronounced, and ever more destructive. —

Carole Horst, Variety, 1 Nov. 2023 The gulf between pay in the South and the North is certain to widen when Ford, G.M. and Stellantis agree on new contracts with the U.A.W. —

Jack Ewing, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2023 And though the gulf nation of Qatar, home to a major U.S. military base, allows Hamas leaders to reside there, few regional leaders have much love lost for the militant group. —

Tracy Wilkinson, Los Angeles Times, 18 Oct. 2023 Grab a bite to eat with a view of the gulf in Jumeirah Beach Residences before getting ice cream and walking over to the marina to watch the sunset on the water, surrounded by towering modern skyscrapers. —

Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 2 Oct. 2023 The gulf on spending between the two parties — and the two chambers — remains vast. —

Catie Edmondson, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2023 The Disney heiress has advocated against inflated CEO compensation and the ever-growing gulf between average worker pay and chief executive pay. —

Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 18 Aug. 2023 The Padres faced a 6-game gulf a game after Friday. —

Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 July 2023

Verb

So many gulfs separate us now: geographical, anatomical, psychological. —

Ferris Jabr, Smithsonian, 8 Jan. 2018 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gulf.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler

The first known use of gulf was in the 15th century

See more words from the same century