deep
adjective · adverb · noun
Simple meaning
Extending, reaching or positioned far from a point of reference.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
deepIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈdip
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adjective
of distance or positionalso figurative
Extending, reaching or positioned far from a point of reference, especially downwards.
Positioned far from the surface or other reference point, especially down through something or into something.
Extending far down from the top, or surface, to the bottom, literally or figuratively.
in combination
Extending to a level or length equivalent to the stated thing.
Far in extent in another (non-downwards, but generally also non-upwards) direction, especially front-to-back.
Profound, having great meaning or import, but possibly obscure or not obvious.
adverb
also deeply
In a profound, not superficial, manner.
Far, especially far down through something or into something, physically or figuratively.
also deeply
In large volume.
noun
A long steep-sided depression in the ocean floor
Literary term for an ocean
with "the"
The sea, the ocean.
literarywith "the"
A silent time; quiet isolation.
literarywith "the"
The deep part of a lake, sea, etc.
A deep hole or pit, a water well; an abyss.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A1 · Beginner (estimated)
- Frequency
- Very Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: (of distance or position; also figurative) Extending, reaching or positioned far from a point of reference, especially downwards.
Used this way, deep is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use deep
- “The ocean is incredibly deep in some areas of the world.”adjective
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
To a great depth psychologically or emotionally.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Dye thoroughly.
Fry in deep fat.
Fording at a deep place in the stream.
Electric refrigerator (trade name Deepfreeze) in which food is frozen and stored for long periods of time.
Electric refrigerator (trade name Deepfreeze) in which food is frozen and stored for long periods of time.
Cook by immersing in fat.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.