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
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Recent Examples of gulf
Joshua Coleman and Will Johnson, TIME, 13 Dec. 2024
The gulf started out a mile wide and shrank to inches, but each game still ended in defeat.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 10 Jan. 2025
Ferris Jabr, Smithsonian, 8 Jan. 2018
See all Example Sentences for gulf 
Noun
The 2024 election spatchcocked the nation, widening a rift that was exposed in 2016 and put in an even sharper gulf four years later.
—Joshua Coleman and Will Johnson, TIME, 13 Dec. 2024
The gulf started out a mile wide and shrank to inches, but each game still ended in defeat.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 10 Jan. 2025
Verb
So many gulfs separate us now: geographical, anatomical, psychological.
—Ferris Jabr, Smithsonian, 8 Jan. 2018
See all Example Sentences for gulf
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gulf
Noun
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Nestled between the Atlantic Ocean and Back Bay, this gem of a state park features hiking and biking trails, as well as four primitive camping areas—two on the ocean side and two on the bay side.—
Erin Gifford,
Southern Living,
2 Feb. 2025
-
Sites on the mainland with bay views are third in the pecking order.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
30 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The fact that frantic diplomatic officials and business leaders managed to convince Petro to turn back from the abyss highlights the degree to which the Colombian economy is dependent on exports to the United States.—
Antonio Maria Delgado,
Miami Herald,
27 Jan. 2025
-
And, while everyone else was distracted by pandemics and politics and TikTok, the cold, skeletal hand of time pulled the millennials into the abyss.—
Alex Baia,
The New Yorker,
20 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
The enormous reservoir sits at the confluence of the U.S. and Mexico borders, and the views offer a mix of steep-walled river canyons and wide-open waterways with 12 public boat ramps and 7 paddling trails.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
30 Jan. 2025
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One side of our canyon is scorched bare, yet miraculously, firefighters managed to save our little community with 30 structures lost.—
Barbara A. Perry,
Newsweek,
28 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
The Alpha Fund is geared toward investors seeking higher returns through more complex strategies, such as basis trading (exploiting pricing gaps between spot and futures markets) and derivatives trades.—
Nina Bambysheva,
Forbes,
23 Jan. 2025
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And yet, for the first time since that gap began to open, Notre Dame has an honest chance to go all the way.—
Pete Sampson,
The Athletic,
23 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The polar vortex, a whirlpool of Arctic air typically perched atop the North Pole, dislodged and descended into the Midwest causing the bitter cold.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Jan. 2025
-
As happened earlier this month, this latest cold snap came from a disruption in the polar vortex, the ring of cold air usually trapped around the North Pole.—
Lorraine Mirabella,
Baltimore Sun,
25 Jan. 2025
Verb
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High Valley Veterinary Clinic floods but remains open During the recent power outages in Ramona, the High Valley Veterinary Clinic was flooded, requiring the entire hospital to be remodeled, according to owner and veterinarian Matthew Gilbert.—
Regina Elling,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 Jan. 2025
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Bales of hay, medications for the animals, feed, and other donations have flooded to the shelter, and a GoFundMe launched to rebuild Jigsaw Farms.—
Charisma Madarang,
Rolling Stone,
27 Jan. 2025
Noun
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For its part, Charleston Outdoor Adventures leads the memorable Full Moon Kayak Tour, a two-hour adventure that departs from Bowens Island, traveling through the estuary as day gives way to moonlit night.—
Ellen Schmedinghoff,
AFAR Media,
14 Jan. 2025
-
Whelan led Hofman and me on a shore hike through the estuary.—
Kevin West,
Travel + Leisure,
4 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The excess ocean warmth has had wide-ranging consequences.—
Sachi Kitajima Mulkey / Grist,
Popular Science,
30 Jan. 2025
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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,
Orlando Sentinel,
30 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near gulf
Cite this Entry
“Gulf.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gulf. Accessed 6 Feb. 2025.
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