gulfs

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of gulf.

   The rugged coastline is cut by deep gulfs and narrow inlets.

   The survey revealed widening gulfs between rich and poor neighborhoods in the same city.

   Note

   The f stays put in the plural: gulf gives gulfs, not the -ves ending of wolves and shelves. The plural serves both the map and the mind, naming arms of the sea along a coast and the wide gaps that separate people or groups. In the figurative use it takes between, and gulfs widen, deepen or get bridged.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of gulf.

   Note

   The verb is the shorter partner of engulf: it carries the same swallowing image and always needs an object. It also has a narrow academic use, in which to gulf a student is to award a degree to someone who has only just passed.

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