/ gʌlf; NAmE / noun
1.
[ C ] a large area of sea that is partly surrounded by land :
the Gulf of Mexico
2.
the Gulf [ sing. ] the Persian Gulf, the area of sea between the Arabian peninsula and Iran :
the Gulf States (= the countries with coasts on the Gulf)
3.
[ C , usually sing. ] gulf (between A and B) a large difference between two people or groups in the way that they think, live or feel :
The gulf between rich and poor is enormous.
4.
[ C ] a wide deep crack in the ground
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IDIOMS
see bridge verb
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WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English : from Old French golfe , from Italian golfo , based on Greek kolpos bosom, gulf.