Gulf

Podcast 1 · Introduction

Gulf

A documentary-style narration: origin, meaning, and feel.

Part of speech

noun

Pronunciation

gulf  /ɡʌlf/

Definition

A deep inlet of the sea almost surrounded by land; a large difference or division between two groups, positions, or situations; a deep abyss or chasm.

Plain meaning

A gulf is either a large sea inlet — like the Gulf of Mexico or the Persian Gulf — or a huge difference or divide between two things: a gulf in understanding, a gulf between the rich and the poor.

Register

Neutral. Gulf is used in both geographic and figurative contexts with equal ease. The figurative gulf — particularly the gulf between rich and poor, or the gulf between policy and reality — is a standard journalistic and political metaphor. The Gulf as a proper noun typically refers to the Persian Gulf in geopolitical contexts.