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gulf

gulf

53 4.7
A wide gap between people, groups, or ideas
  • noun
  • /ɡʌlf/
translation icon : brecha
  • But there is a wide gulf between us now... and I fear I shall never bridge it.
  • gulf separates
  • a yawning gulf
  • a widening gulf

Does this make you realise the enormous gulf between words and actions?

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Examples

  • Even today, a wide gulf separates Chile and Peru in terms of their business climates.

    Academic text (2011)
  • There is a gulf between intentions and results.

  • How can we not have a gulf between us with a tone like that?

  • One has to try and bridge the gulf.

  • There still remains a gulf here on childcare funding.

  • I'm also aware of the social gulf between us.

  • Does this make you realise the enormous gulf between words and actions?

  • We are now one split nation, with a huge gulf dividing the employed from the unemployed.

  • Shanghai's fall highlights the gulf between Chang's urban supporters and Mao's rural ones.

  • There is a significant gulf between the wealthy and the poor in many societies.

Synonyms

gap
vsgulf
365 1.7

A difference between two groups or amounts

is a larger, more intense separation than the simple difference
separation
vsgulf
74 2.5

A space between two things that keeps them apart

is used for wide or figurative divides rather than physical spacing
disconnect
vsgulf
58 5.9

A gap between what people think and what really happens

is the broader idea of a very wide split rather than just misunderstanding
rift
vsgulf
34 5.4

A serious break between people or groups that causes conflict

is a general wide separation not necessarily violent or hostile
disconnection
vsgulf
9 4.2

Being separate from people, things, or contact, for example losing internet

is about a large lasting divide rather than temporary cutting off
dividing line
vsgulf
8 4.1

A clear border between two ideas, groups, or situations

is a broad gap concept not only an exact border between things
huge gulf
vsgulf
1 4.9

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

is a more general word for a wide difference without added emphasis
disparateness
vsgulf
9.2

A big difference between things that are not similar

focuses on a large dividing difference rather than mere dissimilarity
disparation
vsgulf
9.9

A difference between people, groups, or places

is about a wide gap or chasm rather than simply distinction

Antonyms

217 2.8

People or parts joined and acting as one

157 2.7

A likeness between things that makes them seem related

Compounds

462 3.2

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

67 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

29 3.4

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

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

9 3.1

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

Gulf War syndrome
  • Specialized
2 7.8

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

1 3.7

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

1 2.7

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

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

1 4.2

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 of the Andaman Sea off southern Myanmar

A large bay near the city of Naples in southern Italy

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

A bay of the Baltic Sea between Latvia and Estonia

A large inlet of the Atlantic Ocean next to eastern Canada

Gulf of Siam
  • Archaic
6.7

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

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

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

A northern part of the Baltic Sea between Sweden and Finland

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Persian Gulf illness
  • Specialized
8.2

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

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

How Wide

abyss
79 7.4
chasm
33 6.9
gulf
53 4.7
gap
148 1.0
difference
1.0

Surface Forms

gulf singular
gulfs plural

Etymology

Gulf used for a big gap comes from the same root kolpos meaning 'fold' or 'deep hollow'. So a gulf between people or ideas is like a wide empty space you cannot easily cross.