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
-
Its internal weapons bays can carry up to four Blackbeard missiles.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Apr. 2026 -
The fire had reached nearby bays and swamps, which contributed to the challenging firefighting conditions.—
Christopher Harris,
CBS News,
22 Apr. 2026
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,
17 Dec. 2025
-
On the other side of the country, Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport, a longtime reader favorite, is a warm alternative to sterile airport abysses.—
Hannah Towey,
Condé Nast Traveler,
4 Oct. 2024
Noun
-
The reserve features high, broken cliffs and deep ravines on headlands overlooking the ocean.—
Kurt Snibbe,
Oc Register,
24 Apr. 2026
-
She was found hours later, barely alive and with a fractured skull, having been brutally raped and left for dead in one of the park’s ravines.—
Tracy Grant,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In sixteenth-century Italian pedante comedies, the Latin tutors—always the butt of the joke—are known more for the gaps in their knowledge than for their erudition.—
Clare Bucknell,
The New York Review of Books,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Policymakers, especially here in Tokyo, would be wise to accept more foreign workers to plug labor gaps, but that’s not a durable answer on its own.—
Catherine Thorbecke,
Twin Cities,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Their findings, published in Nature, confirm a decades-old theoretical prediction that these points—also known as optical vortices—can move faster than the speed of light under specific conditions.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Try the West Fork of Oak Creek hike for a daylong adventure (with 11 rivers to cross), Broken Arrow Trail for an easier (yet no less scenic) stroll, or Boynton Vista Trail, which takes you to the Kachina Woman rock formation, one of the town’s four vortexes.—
Annie Daly,
Vogue,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Constructing protective structures such as levees and dikes can help, as can preserving natural landscapes, such as wetlands and estuaries that can act as a natural sponge to absorb floodwaters, in and near the cities, Shao and her colleagues wrote.—
Adam Kovac,
Scientific American,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Whether white shrimp from estuaries, or pink, brown, and Royal Red shrimp from the bay, or fin fish beyond Dauphin Island found in the deeper waters of the Gulf, seafood is woven into Mobile’s signature recipes.—
Anne Byrn,
Southern Living,
11 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Local villages are actively monitoring the oceans and reefs in their environment, and backlash to a recent plan from a billionaire Australian to build a giant plant to incinerate rubbish in Fiji was loud and well organized, says Singh.—
MIchelle Duff,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Scientists at the Qinghai Institute of Salt Lakes in China have developed microscopic material that can hunt for uranium ions in oceans or wastewater.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Few journeys bring you as close to this breathtaking landscape as the Rocky Mountaineer, a train that threads through canyons, forests, and mountain passes.—
Taryn White,
Travel + Leisure,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Known as Hawaiʻi’s Garden Island, Kauaʻi embraces a multitude of landscapes, from the deeply creased and forested canyons of the North Shore to the sunny beaches and tropical botanical treasures of the south.—
Robb Report Studio,
Robb Report,
23 Apr. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Gulfs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gulfs. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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