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
Sudiksha Kochi, USA Today, 9 May 2025
The superstar extends the gulf between himself and all other acts – Rihanna ranks second with 17 leaders, while The Weeknd sits in third place, with 15 champs.
—Trevor Anderson, Billboard, 30 June 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
After Google had renamed the gulf in its maps following Trump's executive order, Sheinbaum Pardo threatened legal action against the tech giant in February.
—Sudiksha Kochi, USA Today, 9 May 2025
The superstar extends the gulf between himself and all other acts – Rihanna ranks second with 17 leaders, while The Weeknd sits in third place, with 15 champs.
—Trevor Anderson, Billboard, 30 June 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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The capsize reportedly happened near the Dau Go Cave – one of the largest in the bay.—
Eve Brennan,
CNN Money,
20 July 2025
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Soak in mineral-rich hot springs while taking in views of the bay at Manyo Club.—
Kim Kay,
Travel + Leisure,
20 July 2025
Noun
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Longtime White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf fell into the same trap and his team is still trying to crawl out of the abyss.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
4 July 2025
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The continuity of memory did not measure the abyss between a toddler’s body and a woman’s.—
Rebecca Solnit
May 29,
Literary Hub,
29 May 2025
Noun
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Temperatures at the lowest canyon elevations will be well into the triple digits on Monday.—
Marshall Shepherd,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
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Other distinctive features of the main lodge include a dining room with canyon views, saloon, sunroom, auditorium and post office.—
Rachel Treisman,
NPR,
14 July 2025
Noun
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The budget office has traditionally leaned on slow-walking filling vacancies as one of its few tools to free up money, and the city ended 2024 with a $161 million deficit and expects a more than $1 billion gap next year.—
Alice Yin,
Chicago Tribune,
22 July 2025
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Boston went 12-19 in one-run games (fifth worst in MLB) but 41-26 (second best) in multi-run contests, helping fuel a 2.2-win gap in Pythagorean versus actual records.—
Neil Paine,
New York Times,
22 July 2025
Noun
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According to the researchers, Mars' significant orbital eccentricity, or deviation from a perfect circle, causes the atmosphere in the southern summer to circulate more energetically, creating conditions ideal for vortex formation.—
Nola Taylor Tillman,
Space.com,
16 July 2025
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The vortex observed on July 12 was associated with the Deer Creek Fire burning in southeastern Utah.—
Marshall Shepherd,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
Verb
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Days after the Guadalupe River flooded and claimed dozens of lives, another major river in Texas has triggered warnings from the National Weather Service.—
Alexis Simmerman,
Austin American Statesman,
14 July 2025
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Thousands of comments flooded the platform owned by Trump.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
14 July 2025
Noun
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Flash rip currents are unpredictable, brief and affected by surf conditions, whereas a permanent rip is anchored to river estuaries or structures.—
Marshall Shepherd,
Forbes.com,
22 July 2025
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Powerful tidal currents in bays, estuary entrances, narrow straits, and inlets from the sea turn underwater turbines that are connected to a generator to produce electricity.—
Abhimanyu Ghoshal,
New Atlas,
2 July 2025
Noun
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Sharks have roamed our oceans for over 400 million years, yet today many species are at risk due to overfishing and habitat loss.—
Melissa Cristina Márquez,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
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Warmer oceans and air mean more evaporation and more moisture in the atmosphere, which gets wrung out in the form of more intense rain or snow.—
Laura Paddison,
CNN Money,
14 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gulf.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gulf. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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