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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of gulf
USA Today, 11 June 2025
The group then floated a $62,000 deduction cap for individual filers and a $124,000 deduction cap for joint filers — highlighting the gulf between the two groups.
—Mike Lillis, The Hill, 22 May 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
The Great Stone Door trail is an easy-to-moderate trail that winds about a mile out to a rock bluff exposing panoramic views overlooking the gulf hundreds of feet below.
—USA Today, 11 June 2025
The group then floated a $62,000 deduction cap for individual filers and a $124,000 deduction cap for joint filers — highlighting the gulf between the two groups.
—Mike Lillis, The Hill, 22 May 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
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As the volunteers were watching the whale, it was joined by a pod of dolphins in the bay, the organization said.—
Irene Wright,
Miami Herald,
25 June 2025
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The bay historically was not visited by this cetacean species.—
Susanne Rust,
Los Angeles Times,
25 June 2025
Noun
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This offensive abyss has also coincided with Aaron Judge’s first slump of the season.—
Chris Kirschner,
New York Times,
18 June 2025
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The country’s longest-serving prime minister has pulled himself back from the abyss with what appears to be a wildly successful opening to a military campaign against Iran.—
Oren Liebermann,
CNN Money,
17 June 2025
Noun
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The route includes many iconic Romanesque churches and beautiful landscapes, including the Rio Dulce natural park, and the canyon of Caracena.—
Cecilia Rodriguez,
Forbes.com,
22 June 2025
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On the night of the shooting, officers arrived at the scene of the call and found Rasmussen shot in the torso and lying in a nearby canyon, Provence said.—
Caleb Lunetta,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
20 June 2025
Noun
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Also, keep an eye out for a long gap in reviews or ratings.—
Kristine Gill,
Better Homes & Gardens,
28 June 2025
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The gap between the two has never been as narrow – at least where security is concerned.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
28 June 2025
Noun
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Highly nonlinear filaments, vortices and eddies start forming patterns and structured networks.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
26 June 2025
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The opposite of a heat dome is the polar vortex, when cold Arctic air plunges southward and stalls.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
19 June 2025
Verb
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The Times story became an immediate sensation, and similar stories flooded news sites everywhere.—
Orlando Sentinel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
20 June 2025
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As new waves of detainees flooded into the facility over the last two weeks, the staffer said, the facility was chaotic and lacking basic supplies.—
Jenny Jarvie,
Los Angeles Times,
20 June 2025
Noun
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Kremlin troops are still more than 87 miles away from the regional capital of Dnipro, which is protected by the river of the same name and its system of estuaries.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
9 June 2025
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Nature lovers can kayak in the calm estuary, bike along coastal trails, or visit nearby Montaña de Oro State Park for hiking and panoramic views of the ocean.—
Amplified Content Studio,
Mercury News,
30 May 2025
Noun
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The two side boosters returned for a land landing at Landing Zones 1 and 2 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station while the center core stage fell into the ocean.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
23 June 2025
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Barracudas are prominent predatory fish found in tropical and subtropical oceans, including the Caribbean Sea.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gulf.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gulf. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
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