deep
/diːp
/adjective
1Extending far down from the top or surface: a deep gorge the lake was deep and cold...
- The mountain scenery was totally awesome with spectacular peaks, glacial rivers and deep mountain gorges.
- Since it was built over a deep gorge, it was well protected against destructive forces.
- Rocky gullets of white water open out into deep gorges where salmon lie waiting for water to continue their upstream journey.
Synonyms
extending far down;
cavernous, yawning, gaping, huge, big, great, extensive, profound, unplumbed;
bottomless, immeasurable, fathomless, unfathomable
rare chasmic
1.1Extending or situated far in from the outer edge or surface: a deep alcove deep in the woods...
- Why is it impossible to pump water from very deep in the ground with a surface pump?
- The grave generally is located in a riverbed or somewhere deep in the forest.
- Last September we went to the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, just in the general admission section which was deep in the woods.
Synonyms
extending far back/in, extending a long way back, extensive
1.2 [predicative] (After a measurement and in questions) extending a specified distance from the top, surface, or outer edge: the well was 200 feet deep...
- Adding more debt to a debt ridden business is like adding a sledge to the back of a man trudging through six foot deep snow.
- It was a problem getting this water to the surface as the average well was 100 feet deep.
- What are you going to do when the ground below you suddenly disappears and a 100 meter deep hole opens up?
Synonyms
in depth, downwards, inwards, from top to bottom, from the surface, in vertical extent
1.3 [in combination] As far up or down as a specified point: they stood waist-deep in the water
1.4 [predicative] In a specified number of ranks one behind another: [in combination]: they were standing three-deep at the bar...
- Sadly, without ranks of police four deep, the football fans will rip out each other's throats.
- It was three-deep at the bar, with icy platters of oysters and glasses of sparkling wine littering the marble top.
- Organized ranks, five deep and five wide, marched right below him.
1.5Taking in or giving out a lot of air: she took a deep breath...
- She took a deep breath and swallowed the sobs that were rising in her throat.
- Once she was settled in with an arm slung over his chest, she sighed a deep breath of relief.
- Michael sighed, leaning his head back as he took a deep breath to calm himself.
1.6 Cricket (Of a fielding position) relatively distant from the batsman; near the boundary: deep midwicket...
- His shot lobs high into the air before landing short of Harmison at deep midwicket.
- Dravid was out attempting to hit a six, the ball landing with the deep midwicket fielder.
- Blackwell deposited Gary Keedy into the pavilion for a massive six, but was then well caught at deep square-leg off Kyle Hogg.
1.7(In ball games) to or from a position far down or across the field: a deep cross from Neill...
- He blasts a volley from a deep cross into the side-netting.
- His deep cross nearly becomes a freak goal; it spins back towards the net and rolls right along the top of the crossbar and stays in play.
- Adam Johnson's deep cross from the right found Martin Packer on the opposite flank.
2Very intense or extreme: she was in deep trouble a deep sleep...
- When citizens lack confidence in the basic institutions of democracy, the nation is in very deep trouble.
- We think that humanity could be heading for deep trouble unless we take action very soon.
- They are in deep, deep trouble, and the economy will get worse and worse.
Synonyms
sound, heavy, profound, intense
2.1(Of an emotion or feeling) intensely felt: deep disappointment...
- Personal relationships are full of deep feelings and emotions but you need to wait for the right time to expose them.
- This place is home, if anywhere is, and I love it with a deep passion.
- It was a deep feeling of dissatisfaction, and it was making ordinary people do very crazy things.
Synonyms
intense, heartfelt, deeply felt, fervent, ardent, impassioned, wholehearted, deep-seated, deep-rooted, thorough, thoroughgoing, serious;
sincere, honest, genuine, unfeigned;
earnest, enthusiastic, keen, great;
grave, abject
2.2Profound or penetrating in awareness or understanding: a deep analysis...
- I must also take notice of her deep understanding of Middle Eastern affairs, despite the fact that she has never lived there.
- They like to have a deep understanding of how to do business.
- Those who worked with him at the time have commented on his deep understanding of Canada and Canadian issues.
Synonyms
clever, intelligent, intellectual;
knowledgeable, learned, wise, sagacious, sage, scholarly;
discerning, penetrating, perspicacious, perceptive, percipient, insightful, keen, sharp, sharp-witted, quick-witted;
profound, philosophical, complex, weighty, serious, difficult, abstruse, esoteric, recondite, impenetrable, unfathomable, mysterious, obscure
2.3Difficult to understand: this is all getting too deep for me...
- Nothing deep or philosophical, you understand, just: how is this going to get better?
- They understood something very deep that we more secular types never learned.
- Do you understand what deep and metaphysical things he is trying to say?
Synonyms
obscure, mysterious, hidden, secret, unfathomable, fathomless, opaque, abstruse, recondite, esoteric, enigmatic, arcane, Delphic;
puzzling, perplexing, baffling, mystifying, inexplicable
informal as clear as mud
2.4 (deep in) Fully absorbed or involved in (a state or activity): they were deep in their own thoughts...
- She was taking very little bites of food and looked very deep in thought.
- He looked really deep in thought and sad at the same time.
- Then he'd go off and make himself a cup of coffee still deep in thought, sometimes forgetting to add sugar and sometimes adding too much.
Synonyms
rapt, absorbed, engrossed, preoccupied, immersed, steeped, lost, captivated, spellbound, riveted, gripped, enthralled, intent, engaged
2.5(Of a person) unpredictable and secretive: that Thomas is a deep one...
- I'm a pretty deep person, and cruising gives me a chance to be alone and think.
- I've always wanted to meet you, you seem like such a deep person with a beautiful soul.
- As you would expect from someone who has made a living in the movie capital for more than 30 years, he is neither a subtle nor a very deep man.
3(Of sound) low in pitch and full in tone; not shrill: a deep, resonant voice...
- At his urging I strummed the guitar, closing my eyes as a gorgeous deep sound resonated.
- This means that there are additional deep sounds which cannot be heard.
- He thought he heard a rumbling sound, a deep voice coming from somewhere far away.
Synonyms
low-pitched, low, bass, full-toned, rich, powerful, resonant, rumbling, booming, resounding, sonorous
4(Of colour) dark and intense: a deep pink...
- Although the main stem is still thin and whippy, it is an attractive, shiny, deep purple in colour.
- The colours are deep and rich and help set an operatic mood and tone for almost every scene.
- The sky had become a dark shade of indigo, tinged with the remnants of deep magenta.
Synonyms
dark;
intense, vivid, rich, strong, brilliant, glowing, vibrant, bold, warm, flamboyant, eye-catching
noun
1 (the deep) literary The sea: denizens of the deep...
- The oarsmen pushed their oars above the water while a brawny man dropped an anchor into the deep.
- And that's before we even get to the more bizarre denizens of the deep.
- A bit later they had proof of his ignorance when he told them to cast their nets in the deep during broad daylight.
1.1 (usually deeps) A deep part of the sea: the dark and menacing deeps figurative the deeps of her imagination...
- Everywhere from the shallows of time to the deeps the ocean is one and the same water.
- Scanning the area with invisible eyes, the figure finally dismissed its feelings as a mistaken judgement, before swimming on into the murky deeps off the ocean's continental shelf.
- Tube worms and bacteria coexist in the inky darkness of ocean deeps.
2 (the deep) Cricket The part of the field distant from the batsman.He was also noted for his magnificent fielding in the deep....
- If a better catch has been taken in the deep in any form of cricket, I'm not sure that I've seen it.
- He made 70 runs off just 68 balls before being caught in the deep.
adverb
1Far down or in; deeply: he travelled deep into the forest...
- The narrator gets off a train in a deserted countryside and walks deep into the forest, where he makes camp and goes to sleep.
- The peroxide, he says, wouldn't penetrate very deep beneath the surface.
- Some short trails lead to viewpoints; longer and more difficult trails penetrate deep into the forest and wilderness.
Synonyms
far down, far in, deep down, way down, to a great depth
far, a long way, a great distance, a good way
1.1(In sport) distant from the batsman or forward line of one’s team: he swung the ball in deep...
- By drifting from side to side and dropping deep he found space from which to torment the other team.
- He will have to throw deep a few times early to keep the safeties out of the box.
- In this game Royal made the mistake of either kicking too deep or not chipping.
Phrases
deep down
the deep end
dig deep
go off the deep end
go (or run) deep
in deep
in deep water (or waters)
jump (or be thrown) in at the deep end
Derivatives
deepness
/ noun ...- There's a deepness in this song that I've only glimpsed in other works.
- There weren't any words to describe the deepness of his feelings.
- Her round figure and the deepness of her voice reminded him of the images of the kinds of mothers who were kind and understanding from storybooks.
Origin
Old English dēop (adjective), dīope, dēope (adverb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch diep and German tief, also to dip.
The word deep is related to dip (Old English) and dive (Old English), and in Old English could also mean depth (Late Middle English). The phrase in deep water, ‘in trouble or difficulty’, has biblical origins. The writer of one of the Psalms begged, ‘Let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the deep waters’. The deep waters of a swimming pool did not become familiar enough to provide linguistic inspiration until the 20th century. If you go off the deep end you have an emotional outburst, especially of anger, and to jump (or be thrown) in at the deep end is to face a difficult undertaking with little or no preparation or experience.