gulf

noun

\ ˈgəlf

Definition of gulf

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

verb

gulfed; gulfing; gulfs

Definition of gulf (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

: engulf

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about gulf

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Synonyms & Antonyms for gulf

Synonyms: Noun

arm, bay, bight, cove, creek [chiefly British], embayment, estuary, firth, fjord (also fiord), inlet, loch [Scottish]

Synonyms: Verb

deluge, drown, engulf, flood, inundate, overflow, overwhelm, submerge, submerse, swamp

Antonyms: Verb

drain

Examples of gulf in a Sentence

Noun

we dipped our feet in the warm waters of the gulf the great gulf of time and space that separates us from the first inhabitants of North America

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 killing suggested that, despite moves toward liberalizing Saudi society, a deep gulf in values remains between the kingdom and the West. — WSJ, "Year of Living Dangerously With Friends and Foes," 17 Dec. 2018 With hurricanes bearing down on the east coast and gulf states, and tornadoes and floods pummeling the south and midwest, people have power outages on their minds. — Timothy Dahl, Popular Mechanics, "Home Generator 101: How to Power on When the Power Goes Out," 10 Sep. 2018 Especially when the gulf between the two classes grows all the time. — Joshua Robinson, WSJ, "Soccer’s Super League Threat Isn’t Going Away," 12 Nov. 2018 The model ends its reproduction of the river’s basin around Baton Rouge, 150 miles north of where the river meets the gulf. — Nate Berg, Curbed, "Can engineering save Louisiana’s coastline?," 7 Nov. 2018 Meghan Markle's estranged half-sister, Samantha Markle, took the occasion as a chance to dig in and make the gulf between Meghan and her dad's side of the family a little wider. — Kayleigh Roberts, Marie Claire, "Meghan Markle's Estranged Sister Posted a Savage Birthday Message to Prince Harry," 16 Sep. 2018 The strings are almost troublingly raw, perched on the edge of hysteria, over a yawning gulf to the deep base of the orchestra. — Zachary Woolfe, New York Times, "Review: A Conductor Sets Munich’s Ashen ‘Parsifal’ Aflame," 1 July 2018 And this remoteness creates a gulf between those caught in the crossfire — the people represented by Kromplyas’s bullet-ridden silhouettes — and those living in the peaceful rest of the country. — David L. Stern, Washington Post, "War in eastern Ukraine now seems a distant storm to Kiev," 26 June 2018 The Leonard situation will be an ongoing saga, and there still appears to be quite a gulf to bridge in order to keep him in the fold. — Steve Warns, San Antonio Express-News, "Writers’ roundtable: Who won the NBA Draft, what’s next with Kawhi Leonard," 23 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

So many gulfs separate us now: geographical, anatomical, psychological. — Ferris Jabr, Smithsonian, "It’s Official: Fish Feel Pain," 8 Jan. 2018

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