1
as in bay
a part of a body of water that extends beyond the general shoreline
we dipped our feet in the warm waters of the gulf
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in abyss
an immeasurable depth or space
the gulf of understanding between the two men was too wide for them to ever get along
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in canyon
a narrow opening between hillsides or mountains that can be used for passage
the gulf was too wide to cross, so we had to hike down into it and go through it
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in gap
an open space in a barrier (as a wall or hedge)
a wide gulf in the defensive wall meant the city was in grave danger
Synonyms & Similar Words
5
as in vortex
water moving rapidly in a circle with a hollow in the center
the doomed ship was sucked into the gulf and consigned to Davy Jones's locker
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in to flood
to cover with a flood
with the administration gulfed by so many real problems, it's absurd for the president to concern himself with this nonissue
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of gulf
Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
The tensions are a sign of the growing gulf between Netanyahu and his Western allies.
—Kristina Karisch, The Hill, 21 Aug. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for gulf
Noun
In a sense, the checker is re-reporting a piece, probing for weak spots, reaching a hand across the gulf of misunderstanding.
—Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
The tensions are a sign of the growing gulf between Netanyahu and his Western allies.
—Kristina Karisch, The Hill, 21 Aug. 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
See All Example Sentences for gulf
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gulf
Noun
-
That’s because higher sea levels can creep up into drains designed to send water into rivers and the bay, sending water bubbling back out into the street rather than away from it.—
Alex Harris,
Miami Herald,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Where to stay Overlooking a bay in the Caspian Sea is the Four Seasons Hotel Baku, housed in a magnificent Beaux-Arts-style building.—
Mae Hamilton,
AFAR Media,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Reviews were mixed at the time, but that deep-dive into the widening mental abyss of a hypochondriac playwright (played by Philip Seymour Hoffman) has only grown in esteem over time.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Some vociferously insist that nobody of their right mind would ever fall into the AI psychosis abyss.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Typical diurnal winds prevailed with westerly/up canyon, gusting near 20 MPH, observed in the afternoon.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
8 Sep. 2025
-
The helicopter then lands inside the canyon, where participants start their epic journey on the river to the infamous Eyjafjallajökull volcano, past glaciers, waterfalls, and basalt columns.—
Mia Taylor,
Boston Herald,
7 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
For borrowers in their second or third year of college worried about getting across the finish line, Pierce recommends speaking with financial aid offices to access grants or cheaper loans to fill gaps.—
Rachel Hale,
USA Today,
4 Sep. 2025
-
And Russia, already emboldened, will see the gap between rhetoric and capability as permanent.—
Brett Erickson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Atmospheric scientists model it as a standing wave pattern in a fast polar jet, with wind speeds of roughly 300–330 mph circling a hurricane-like vortex at the pole.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Warned To Avoid Sun Amid 'Dangerously Hot Conditions' The National Weather Service explains that the polar vortex is a persistent low-pressure system of cold air around the Earth's poles.—
Joe Edwards,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The comment sections of each video documenting the saga was flooded with people baffled by how the pair ended up in the situation.—
Latoya Gayle,
PEOPLE,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Just two days before filming began in the northwest regional province of Santiago Rodriguez, a powerful storm swept through the Dominican Republic, flooding the ground floor of the production office and bringing much of Santo Domingo to a halt.—
Anna Marie de la Fuente,
Variety,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Coastal estuaries are the scene of intense daily dramas of survival, featuring a cast of hundreds of species, and much of it is microscopic and underwater.—
Ut Community Press,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 Aug. 2025
-
Croatan spans 160,000 acres and includes pine forests, saltwater estuaries, bogs, and raised swamps.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
22 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Since Myanmar is close to the ocean, seafoods like fish and shrimp are integral to Burmese cuisine.—
Sophie Carson,
jsonline.com,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Many of France's power stations draw seawater directly from the ocean as coolant for their inner workings.—
Theo Burman
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gulf.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gulf. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share