gulf
[noun]
Synonyms:
- bay, bight, sea inlet
- chasm, abyss, gap, opening, rift, separation, split, void

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Related Words: cave, cavity, hollow, crevasse, gulch, ravine, pit, shaft, well

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English Thesaurus: difference, difference between, difference in, know the difference, contrast, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

Gulf trademark
a brand of oil and petrol

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

gulf /ɡʌlf/ noun [countable]
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: French; Origin: golfe, from Greek kolpos 'arms folded around, bay']

1. a large area of sea partly enclosed by land:
the Gulf of Mexico

2. a great difference and lack of understanding between two groups of people, especially in their beliefs, opinions, and way of life Synonym : gap
gulf between
the huge gulf between management and unions
a growing gulf between old and young

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

gulf
noun
ADJ. deep, great, huge, unbridgeable, wide, yawning | growing, widening There appeared to be a growing gulf between the prosperous south and the declining towns of the north.
VERB + GULF cause, create This atrocity has created a huge gulf between the two groups.
widen Other factors widened the gulf that separated rich from poor.
emphasize, illustrate The documentary illustrated the gulf between industrialized and developing countries.
bridge, span The new degree course aims to bridge the gulf between education and industry.
GULF + VERB exist | separate sb/sth the yawning gulf that separates the two cultures
open up A gulf had opened up between the former friends.
PREP. ~ between For many teachers, there existed an unbridgeable gulf between home and school life.
~ in the huge gulf in level between professional and amateur teams

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

difference a detail, fact, or quality that makes one person or thing different from another:
We should think about the similarities between cultures, not the differences.
⇒ difference between:
Try and spot the differences between these two pictures.
The difference between the two cheeses is that one is made from goat’s milk.
⇒ difference in:
I don’t think there’s any difference in the way you pronounce these two words.
⇒ know the difference:
He’s speaking Italian, not Spanish. Don’t you know the difference?
contrast a very clear difference that you can easily see when you compare two things or people: contrast between something/somebody and something/somebody:
What surprised me was the contrast between Picasso’s early style and his later work.
gap a big difference between two amounts, two ages, or two groups of people: gap between:
There’s a ten-year gap between Kay’s two children.
The gap between rich and poor is wider in the South than in the rest of the country.
⇒ age/gender/income etc gap:
The age gap between us didn’t seem to matter until we decided to have children.
gulf a very big difference and lack of understanding between two groups of people, especially in their beliefs, opinions, and way of life: gulf between somebody and somebody:
More riots led to a growing gulf between the police and the communities in which they worked.
⇒ bridge/cross the gulf (=improve understanding and communication):
The central problem was how to bridge the gulf between the warring factions of the party.
disparity formal a big difference between two groups of people or things – use this especially when you think the difference is unfair or may cause problems: disparity between:
It is not easy to explain the disparity that still exists between the salaries of men and women.
⇒ disparity in:
the disparity in wealth between the highest and the lowest employees
⇒ the economic/income etc disparity:
The economic disparity between the area’s black and white citizens is a serious problem.
compare to consider two or more things or people, in order to show how they are similar or different:
Scientists compared the results of both experiments.
The woman’s body was identified by comparing her teeth with dental records.
make/draw a comparison to compare two or more things or people and say how they are similar:
In her article, she makes a comparison between people’s lives now and 50 years ago.
It is possible to draw a comparison between the two poets’ work.
draw an analogy to say that two situations are similar – a rather formal use:
Some people have attempted to draw an analogy between America’s invasion of Iraq and the war in Vietnam.
draw a parallel to say that some features of things are similar, especially things that are actually very different – a rather formal use:
He draws a parallel between football and religion.
Parallels can be drawn between her work and that of Picasso.
make/draw a distinction between to say that you think two things are very different:
The author draws a distinction between allowing death to occur, and causing it.
It is important to make a distinction between people’s fears about crime and the amount of crime that really happens.
measure somebody/something against somebody/something to compare two people or things, in order to judge which is better, bigger, etc:
As a young actress, she was nervous of being measured against her famous father.
Murray’s progress is often measured against that of Nadal.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

the sea especially British English the large area of salty water that covers much of the Earth’s surface:
She lives by the sea.
The sea was very rough.
the ocean especially American English the large area of salty water that covers much of the Earth’s surface:
a house by the ocean
The restaurant had a sweeping view of the ocean.
waters a large area of water – used about an area of water that belongs to a particular country, or when describing what the water is like:
boats fishing in Canadian waters
British territorial waters
the calm waters of the harbour
dangerous waters
choppy waters (=with a lot of waves)
bay an area of sea that is partly enclosed by a curve in the land:
I swam across the bay.
the Bay of Biscay
gulf a very large area of sea partly enclosed by land:
the Gulf of Mexico
oil from the Gulf (=the area of water near Iran, Saudi Arabia etc)
tide the regular rising and falling of the level of the sea:
Is the tide going out or coming in ?
High tide (=when the sea is at its highest level)is at 4 o'clock in the afternoon.
low tide (=when the sea is at its lowest level)
The rocks are visible at low tide.
wave a line of raised water that moves across the surface of the sea:
The waves were crashing against the rocks.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲