(~er, ~est)
Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English.
1.
If something is ~, it extends a long way down from the ground or from the top surface of something.
The water is very ~ and mysterious-looking...
Den had dug a ~ hole in the centre of the garden...
Kelly swore quietly, looking at the ~ cut on his left hand.
...a ~ ravine.
? shallow
ADJ
•
Deep is also an adverb.
Deep in the earth’s crust the rock may be subjected to temperatures high enough to melt it...
Gingerly, she put her hand in ~er, to the bottom.
ADV: ADV prep/adv, ADV after v
~ly
There isn’t time to dig ~ly and put in manure or compost...
ADV: ADV after v, ADV adj/-ed
2.
A ~ container, such as a cupboard, extends or measures a long distance from front to back.
The wardrobe was very ~.
ADJ
3.
You use ~ to talk or ask about how much something measures from the surface to the bottom, or from front to back.
I found myself in water only three feet ~...
The mud is ankle ~ around Shush Square...
How ~ did the snow get?
ADJ: amount ADJ, n ADJ, how ADJ, as ADJ as , ADJ-compar than
•
Deep is also a combining form.
...an inch-~ stab wound.
COMB in ADJ
4.
Deep in an area means a long way inside it.
They were now ~ inside rebel territory.
ADV: ADV prep/adv, ADV after v
5.
If you say that things or people are two, three, or four ~, you mean that there are two, three, or four rows or layers of them there.
A crowd three ~ seemed paralysed by the images on these monitors...
ADV: num ADV
6.
You use ~ to emphasize the seriousness, strength, importance, or degree of something.
I had a ~ admiration for Sartre...
He wants to express his ~ sympathy to the family.
= profound
ADJ: usu ADJ n emphasis
~ly
Our meetings and conversations left me ~ly depressed...
= profoundly
ADV
7.
If you experience or feel something ~ inside you or ~ down, you feel it very strongly even though you do not necessarily show it.
Deep down, she supported her husband’s involvement in the organization.
ADV: ADV prep/adv, ADV with cl
8.
If you are in a ~ sleep, you are sleeping peacefully and it is difficult to wake you.
Una soon fell into a ~ sleep.
? light
ADJ: ADJ n
~ly
She slept ~ly but woke early.
ADV: ADV after v
9.
If you are ~ in thought or ~ in conversation, you are concentrating very hard on what you are thinking or saying and are not aware of the things that are happening around you.
Abby had been so ~ in thought that she had walked past her aunt’s car without even seeing it...
ADJ: v-link ADJ in n
10.
A ~ breath or sigh uses or fills the whole of your lungs.
Cal took a long, ~ breath, struggling to control his own emotions...
ADJ: ADJ n
~ly
She sighed ~ly and covered her face with her hands.
ADV: ADV after v
11.
You use ~ to describe colours that are strong and fairly dark.
The sky was ~ blue and starry...
? pale
COMB in COLOUR
•
Deep is also an adjective.
...~ colours.
? pale
ADJ: usu ADJ n
12.
A ~ sound is low in pitch.
His voice was ~ and mellow...
They heard a ~, distant roar.
? high
ADJ
13.
If you describe someone as ~, you mean that they are quiet and reserved in a way that makes you think that they have good qualities such as intelligence or determination.
James is a very ~ individual...
? shallow
ADJ
14.
If you describe something such as a problem or a piece of writing as ~, you mean that it is important, serious, or complicated.
They’re written as adventure stories. They’re not intended to be ~.
ADJ
15.
If you are ~ in debt, you have a lot of debts.
He is so ~ in debt and desperate for money that he’s apparently willing to say anything...
ADV: ADV in/into n
~ly
Because of her medical and her legal bills, she is now penniless and ~ly in debt.
ADV: ADV in/into n
16.
If you know something ~ down or ~ down inside, you know that it is true, but you are not always conscious of it or willing to admit it to yourself.
We knew ~ down that we could do it...
Deep down, we had always detested each other.
PHRASE: PHR after v, PHR with cl
17.
If you say that you took a ~ breath before doing something dangerous or frightening, you mean that you tried to make yourself feel strong and confident.
I took a ~ breath and went in.
PHRASE: V inflects
18.
If you say that something goes ~ or runs ~, you mean that it is very serious or strong and is hard to change.
His anger and anguish clearly went ~...
PHRASE: V inflects
19.
in at the ~ end: see end
in ~ water: see water