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gulf

gulf

762 2.3
A large area of sea partly surrounded by land
  • noun
  • /ɡʌlf/
: golfo
  • The importance of the Gulf is, without question, its abundance of oil.
  • gulf waters
  • oil in the gulf
  • gulf countries

We didn't need a wall from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Ocean.

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Examples

  • What was it doing in the Gulf of Mexico?

  • If you're planning to be anywhere in the Gulf today, better batten down the hatches.

  • " We're lucky to have the Gulf so close, you know.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • And especially in the Gulf after the oil boom.

  • It's one of these new retirement communities they built down on the Gulf.

  • If you have to be out on the gulf, do exercise extreme caution.

  • I checked the wind; it was blowing from the gulf toward the land.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • A light wind off the Gulf is riffling over the marsh grass in waves.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • I've got a tropical depression in the Gulf moving inland towards the coast.

  • The gulf of Mexico is known for its rich marine biodiversity and beautiful coastlines.

Compounds

166 3.2

A war in 1990–1991 when many countries led by the United States forced Iraq out of Kuwait

144 3.4

A shallow sea between Iran and the countries of the Arabian Peninsula

81 2.7

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

A large part of the Atlantic Ocean south of the United States and east of Mexico

A 1990–1991 war when Iraq invaded Kuwait and a US-led group fought to push out Iraqi troops

13 3.1

A warm ocean current that flows from the Gulf of Mexico past the US east coast toward Europe

12 4.1

Countries in southwestern Asia that border the Persian Gulf, such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar

7 3.4

U.S. states that border the Gulf of Mexico, like Texas and Florida

Gulf War syndrome
  • Specialized
4 7.8

A long-term illness affecting people who served in the 1991 Gulf War that causes tiredness, headaches, stomach and breathing problems

A large part of the Pacific Ocean between the Alaska Peninsula and the Alexander Archipelago along Alaska's southern coast

2 4.2

A shallow sea between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula with many oil fields

2 2.7

A sea area between Iran and Oman that links the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf

A long narrow sea between the Baja California Peninsula and the mainland of northwestern Mexico

1 4.2

A part of the Indian Ocean between Yemen and Somalia that leads into the Red Sea

A narrow part of the Red Sea between Egypt and Saudi Arabia

A large bay off the west coast of Africa that is part of the Atlantic Ocean

1 4.9

A very large difference between two people, groups, or ideas

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

The eastern part of the Baltic Sea between southern Finland and northern Estonia

A shallow part of the South China Sea beside Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam

A large area of sea where the St Lawrence River meets the Atlantic Ocean near eastern Canada

A wide bay of the Mediterranean Sea on Libya's north coast

A large bay near the city of Naples in southern Italy

A northern part of the Baltic Sea between Sweden and Finland

1 5.2

A narrow part of the Red Sea between the Sinai Peninsula and mainland Egypt

Countries in southwest Asia with mainly Arab people that border the Persian Gulf

1 7.1

A gulf of the Aegean Sea between Attica and the Peloponnese in Greece

A narrow part of the sea between central Greece and the Peloponnese

Gulf of Siam
  • Archaic
1 6.7

A sea area between Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam now called the Gulf of Thailand

A large shallow bay in northern Australia with wide tidal flats and mangrove trees

A part of the northern Adriatic Sea between Italy, Slovenia and Croatia

A large inlet of the Atlantic Ocean next to eastern Canada

1 4.1

A bay of the Baltic Sea between Latvia and Estonia

Persian Gulf illness
  • Specialized
1 8.2

A sickness that affected many people who served in the 1991 Gulf War, causing tiredness, headaches, and memory problems

A large bay of the Andaman Sea off southern Myanmar

An arm of the Pacific Ocean off southern Mexico known for strong winds

A part of the Aegean Sea between the Attica coast and the island of Aegina

A long narrow bay of the Red Sea between Egypt and Saudi Arabia

A large bay in western Siberia where the Ob River flows into the Kara Sea

A gulf of the Mediterranean Sea in southwestern Turkey that attracts many tourists for its beautiful coast

A large bay of the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of southeast Mexico

A part of the Ionian Sea between central Greece and the Peloponnese

3.7

A war from 1980 to 1988 between Iran and Iraq over land and water

How Big

ocean
∞ 1.0
sea
∞ 1.0
gulf
762 2.3
bay
533 1.0
inlet
17 3.8
cove
53 3.5

Surface Forms

gulf singular
gulfs plural

Etymology

Gulf comes from an old Greek word kolpos meaning 'bosom' or 'fold'. Think of the land folding around the sea like a cup that holds water, which is why a gulf is a large, partly closed area of sea.