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🌴 Arabian countries 🇺🇸 Southern US states
Gulf States

Gulf States

3.4
U.S. states that border the Gulf of Mexico, like Texas and Florida
  • proper noun
  • /ɡʌlf steɪts/
translation icon : Estados del Golfo
  • The Gulf States have diverse cultures influenced by both the American South and the Gulf of Mexico.

Examples

  • Hurricane Katrina had a devastating impact on several of the Gulf States.

  • Tourism is a major industry in the Gulf States due to their warm coastal climate.

  • The Gulf States are known for their beautiful beaches.

  • Have you ever visited the Gulf States?

  • Hurricane Katrina had a devastating impact on several of the Gulf States.

  • Tourism is a major industry in the Gulf States due to their warm coastal climate.

  • The Gulf States have diverse cultures influenced by both the American South and the Gulf of Mexico.

Synonyms

Gulf Coast
vsGulf States
67 2.7

A coastal area by the Gulf of Mexico in the southern United States known for beaches and fishing

is about the political units that border the Gulf rather than the coastline
Gulf Coast of the United States
vsGulf States
3.0

The part of the United States along the Gulf of Mexico, including Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas

is the shorter state focused label rather than the longer regional phrase

Surface Forms

Gulf States main

Morphology

gulf + state

The phrase is directly compositional: 'gulf' (a stretch of sea) + 'states' (political regions) denotes political units bordering a gulf. A B1 learner who knows both words will understand it refers to states by a gulf, though context may be needed to identify which specific gulf (e.g. Gulf of Mexico vs Persian Gulf).

Etymology

Gulf States comes from the U.S. states that touch the Gulf called the 'Gulf of Mexico'. Imagine them along the warm coast, and that's why the phrase means those states.