deep

/dip/

/dip/

Other forms: deepest; deeps

How deep a body of water is can be measured from the surface of water to the bottom. You should always be sure you know how deep a swimming pool is before demonstrating your backward somersault dive.

Water can be deep or shallow, and exactly how deep it is can be measured. You can also describe a space not made of water as deep — like when you discover a little house made of candy deep, or far, in the woods. Things can even be figuratively deep when they are extreme, like "deep thoughts" or a "deep recession." The Old English word deop means "deep," but it also means, "awful, mysterious, and solemn."

Definitions of deep

1. adjective

   having great spatial extension or penetration downward or inward from an outer surface or backward or laterally or outward from a center; sometimes used in combination
   “a deep well”

   “a deep dive”

   “deep water”

   “a deep casserole”

   “a deep gash”

   “deep massage”

   “deep pressure receptors in muscles”

   “deep shelves”

   “a deep closet”

   “surrounded by a deep yard”

   “hit the ball to deep center field”

   “in deep space”

   “waist-deep”

   synonyms:

   abysmal, abyssal, unfathomable

   resembling an abyss in depth; so deep as to be unmeasurable

   bottomless

   extremely deep

   deep-water

   of or carried on in waters of great depth

   profound, unfathomed, unplumbed, unsounded

   situated at or extending to great depth; too deep to have been sounded or plumbed

   walk-in

   (of e.g. closets or refrigerators) extending very far enough back to allow a person to enter

   unfathomable

   of depth; not capable of being sounded or measured

   antonyms:

   shallow

   lacking physical depth; having little spatial extension downward or inward from an outer surface or backward or outward from a center

   ankle-deep, knee-deep

   coming only to the ankle or knee

   fordable

   shallow enough to be crossed by walking or riding on an animal or in a vehicle

   neritic

   relating to the region of shallow water adjoining the seacoast

   reefy, shelfy, shelvy, shoaly

   full of submerged reefs or sandbanks or shoals
2. adjective

   relatively thick from top to bottom
   “deep carpets”

   “deep snow”

   synonyms:

   thick

   not thin; of a specific thickness or of relatively great extent from one surface to the opposite usually in the smallest of the three solid dimensions
3. adjective

   extending relatively far inward
   “a deep border”

   synonyms:

   broad, wide

   having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
4. adjective

   very distant in time or space
   “deep in the past”

   “deep in enemy territory”

   “deep in the woods”

   “a deep space probe”

   synonyms:

   distant

   separated in space or coming from or going to a distance
5. noun

   literary term for an ocean
   “denizens of the deep”

   type of:

   ocean

   a large body of water constituting a principal part of the hydrosphere
6. noun

   a long steep-sided depression in the ocean floor
   synonyms: oceanic abyss, trench

   examples:

   Atacama Trench

   a depression in the floor of the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Chile

   Bougainville Trench

   a depression in the floor of the Pacific Ocean between New Guinea and the Solomon Islands

   Japan Trench

   a depression in the floor of the Pacific Ocean to the northeast of Japan that reaches depths of 30,000 feet

   Nares Deep

   a depression in the floor of the Atlantic Ocean to the north of Haiti and Puerto Rico

   type of:

   depression, natural depression

   a sunken or depressed geological formation
7. adverb

   to a great distance
   “penetrated deep into enemy territory”

   “went deep into the woods”
8. adverb

   to an advanced time
   “deep into the night”

   synonyms: late
9. adverb

   to a great depth;far down
   “dug deep”

   synonyms: deeply
10. adjective

    extreme
    “in deep trouble”

    “deep happiness”

    synonyms:

    intense

    possessing or displaying a distinctive feature to a heightened degree
11. adjective

    large in quantity or size
    “deep cuts in the budget”

    synonyms:

    big, large

    above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
12. adjective

    strong; intense
    “deep purple”

    synonyms: rich

    colorful, colourful

    having striking color
13. adjective

    relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
    “a deep breath”

    “a deep sigh”

    “deep concentration”

    “deep emotion”

    “a deep trance”

    “in a deep sleep”

    synonyms:

    heavy, profound, sound, wakeless

    (of sleep) deep and complete

    profound

    coming from deep within one

    antonyms:

    shallow

    not deep or strong; not affecting one deeply

    light, wakeful

    (of sleep) easily disturbed
14. adjective

    (of darkness) very intense
    “a face in deep shadow”

    “deep night”

    synonyms: thick

    intense

    possessing or displaying a distinctive feature to a heightened degree
15. adjective

    marked by depth of thinking
    “deep thoughts”

    “a deep allegory”

    synonyms:

    profound

    showing intellectual penetration or emotional depth
16. noun

    the central and most intense or profound part
    “in the deep of night”

    “in the deep of winter”

    type of:

    middle

    time between the beginning and the end of a temporal period
17. adjective

    of an obscure nature
    “a deep dark secret”

    synonyms: cryptic, cryptical, inscrutable, mysterious, mystifying

    incomprehensible, inexplicable

    incapable of being explained or accounted for
18. adjective

    difficult to penetrate; incomprehensible to one of ordinary understanding or knowledge
    “a deep metaphysical theory”

    synonyms: abstruse, recondite

    esoteric

    confined to and understandable by only an enlightened inner circle
19. adjective

    exhibiting great cunning usually with secrecy
    “deep political machinations”

    “a deep plot”

    synonyms:

    artful

    marked by skill in achieving a desired end especially with cunning or craft
20. adjective

    having or denoting a low vocal or instrumental range
    “a deep voice”

    synonyms: bass

    low, low-pitched

    used of sounds and voices; low in pitch or frequency
21. adjective

    with head or back bent low
    “a deep bow”

    synonyms:

    low

    literal meanings; being at or having a relatively small elevation or upward extension