1
as in bays
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 abysses
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 ravines
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 gaps
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 vortices
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 engulfs
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gulfs
Noun
-
Where the ice meets the edge of the island, towering glacial headwalls calve icebergs into the bays, requiring boats to dodge and dart around the floating obstacles, some of them as shockingly blue as antifreeze, some as big as Kentucky courthouses.—
Andrew McKean,
Outdoor Life,
11 Dec. 2025 -
Oregon Fish and Wildlife Department Unlike Oregon's native crab species, which live in the ocean, bays and estuaries, mitten crabs live in freshwater and migrate to brackish water to breed, the department said.—
Emily Mae Czachor,
CBS News,
2 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Jean-Pierre is an artifact of an age that looks recent on paper but feels prehistoric in practice—the age of pantsuits, the word ’empowerment,’ the musical Hamilton, the cheap therapeutic entreaties to ‘work on yourself’ and ‘lean in’ to various corporate abysses.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
At the time, authorities said the 71-year-old retail tycoon had fallen from a height near the Salnitre caves in Collbató, a wild natural area known for steep cliffs and ravines.—
Mark Faithfull,
Forbes.com,
19 May 2026
-
Madeira’s cliffs and ravines are difficult enough that many walking holidays there are guided and focused on one part of the island, including the eight-mile forest hike through Ribeiro Frio.—
Hanna Wickes,
Kansas City Star,
11 May 2026
Noun
-
But Hitt has a special skill for enlivening the archive, and its gaps.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 Dec. 2025
-
Trim Your Strawberry Tree with Finishing Touches Mint leaves are one easy option to fill in gaps; take a sprig and stick it between holes in your strawberry tree.—
Sophia Beams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
11 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
The winds across Antarctica's frozen landscape have carved incredible, swirling vortexes in the clouds above the icy terrain.—
Chelsea Gohd,
Space.com,
12 May 2026
-
The study reveals that only the largest of these vortices provides the actual thrust needed for speed.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
Wide-ranging and chaotic expropriations, disastrous price and currency controls, stifling regulations, and unbridled hostility toward the private sector and foreign investment have all helped produce the economic catastrophe that now engulfs Venezuela.—
Moisés Naím,
Foreign Affairs,
27 Jan. 2020
Noun
-
The lagoon is considered one of the most diverse estuaries in the nation, an abundant breeding ground for fish, birds and aquatic plants.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 Aug. 2025
-
Mahmood Shivji, director of the Guy Harvey Research Institute at Nova Southeastern University, also cites research that juvenile bull shark numbers are rising in Gulf estuaries.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
12 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Many tankers have been diverted to pick up cargoes elsewhere, and crossing oceans to get back to the Mideast can take weeks.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
15 June 2026
-
One is the classic after-dinner pour next to dessert, while the other spent centuries traveling across oceans in barrels and somehow came out tasting even better because of it.—
Emily Price,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Gulfs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gulfs. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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