I. deep 1 S2 W1 /diːp/ BrE AmE adjective ( comparative deeper , superlative deepest )
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ deep , ↑ depth ; adjective : ↑ deep , deepening; verb : ↑ deepen ; adverb : ↑ deeply ]
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: deop ]
1 . GOING FAR DOWN
a) going far down from the top or from the surface OPP shallow :
The castle is on an island surrounded by a deep lake.
The swimming pool has a deep end and a shallow end for kids.
We’ll take the boat out into deep water where we can dive.
a deep narrow valley
b) you use deep to say what distance something goes down from the top or surface
2 metres/6 feet etc deep
Dig a hole around 12 inches deep.
ankle-deep/waist-deep etc
In places, the snow was waist-deep (=deep enough to reach a person’s waist) .
⇨ ↑ knee-deep
2 . GOING FAR IN going far in from the outside or from the front edge of something:
a deep wound
She was sitting in a deep leather chair.
3 . SERIOUS serious or severe:
Despite the peace process, there are deep divisions in the community.
The country is in a deep recession.
Evan would be in deep trouble if he was caught.
4 . BREATH a deep breath or ↑ sigh is one in which you breathe a lot of air in or out:
She stopped and took a deep breath.
Tom gave a deep sigh of relief.
5 . FEELING/BELIEF a deep feeling, belief etc is very strong and sincere SYN profound :
May I express my deepest sympathy.
The letters show her deep affection for him.
He has a deep understanding of the environment.
6 . SOUND a deep sound is very low:
Her laugh was deep and loud.
I love that deep bass line.
7 . COLOUR a deep colour is dark and strong OPP light , pale :
She gazed at him with wide deep blue eyes.
The berries are a deep red colour.
8 . DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND important but complicated or difficult to understand:
These problems are too deep for me.
There is a deep issue of principle involved.
9 . SLEEP if someone is in a deep sleep, it is difficult to wake them:
He lay down and fell into a deep sleep.
10 . deep in thought/conversation etc thinking so hard or paying attention to something so much that you do not notice anything else that is happening around you
11 . deep in debt owing a lot of money
12 . a deep impression a strong effect or influence that remains for a long time:
What he said made a deep impression on me.
13 . PERSON a deep person is serious and intelligent, but is hard to know well:
Henry has always been a deep one. He keeps his views to himself.
14 . be in deep shit spoken not polite to be in a bad situation because of something you have done
15 . be in deep water to be in trouble or in a difficult or serious situation:
The company is in deep water over their refusal to reduce prices.
16 . BALL GAMES a deep ball is hit, thrown, or kicked to a far part of the sports field
17 . jump/be thrown in at the deep end to choose to do or be made to do a very difficult job without having prepared for it:
She decided to jump in at the deep end, buy a farm, and teach herself.
18 . go off at the deep end informal to become angry suddenly and violently, usually when there is not a good reason
• • •
THESAURUS
■ voices/sounds that are not high
▪ low a low voice or sound is not high on the scale of musical sounds:
I can’t sing the low notes.
|
He’s got quite a low singing voice.
|
Boys’ voices usually become much lower as they get older.
▪ deep a deep voice or sound is low, strong, and pleasant:
He has a lovely deep voice.
|
The engine has a wonderfully deep sound to it, like it’s ready to race.
▪ husky a husky voice is deep, quiet, and rough-sounding, especially in a way that is attractive:
Monroe sang 'Happy Birthday, Mr President’ in a slow husky voice.
|
His voice dropped to a husky whisper.
▪ gravelly a gravelly voice is very low and rough sounding:
The singer is famous for his gravelly voice.
II. deep 2 W3 BrE AmE adverb
1 . [always + adverb/preposition] a long way into or below the surface of something:
Some bones were hidden deep beneath the ground.
The tunnel led deep under the mountains.
We were deep in a tropical rainforest (=far from the edge of the forest) .
Tom stared deep into her eyes.
They talked deep into the night (=very late) .
2 . deep down
a) if you know or feel something deep down, you secretly know or feel it even though you do not admit it:
He knew, deep down, that he would have to apologise.
b) if someone is good, evil etc deep down, that is what they are really like even though they usually hide it:
Deep down, she is a caring person.
3 . two/three etc deep if things or people are two deep, three deep etc, there are two, three etc rows or layers of things or people:
People were standing four deep at the bar.
4 . run/go deep if a feeling such as hatred or anger runs deep in someone, they feel it very strongly, especially because of something that has happened in the past:
The prejudice runs deep and we need to understand the fears behind it.
5 . be in (too) deep informal to be very involved in a situation, especially so that it causes you problems
⇨ still waters run deep at ↑ still 2 (5)
III. deep 3 BrE AmE noun
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ deep , ↑ depth ; adjective : ↑ deep , deepening; verb : ↑ deepen ; adverb : ↑ deeply ]
the deep literary the sea
• • •
THESAURUS
■ dark colours
▪ dark used about a colour that is strong and fairly close to black:
a dark blue suit
|
His eyes are dark brown.
▪ deep fairly dark – often used when you think this colour looks attractive:
His eyes were a beautiful deep blue.
|
deep red lips
▪ rich used about a colour that is fairly dark in a way that gives a pleasant feeling of warmth:
The walls were painted a rich red colour.