Meaning & use
deep
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Extending far downward from the top or far inward from the surface.
Grammar: Compare deeper and deepest; for upward extent English usually uses high or tall, not deep.
Patterns
- deep water or hole
- deep wound or cut
- knee-deep in something
- deep inside something
The river is too deep to cross here.
He cut a deep groove in the wood.
The tunnel runs deep inside the hill.
adjectivecomparablefigurative
Strong, serious, or far from the surface in feeling, thought, or effect.
Grammar: Figurative and gradable; often before nouns like concern, understanding, and division, or after linking verbs.
Patterns
- deep concern or regret
- deep understanding
- deep in thought
- deep divisions
The nurse showed deep concern for the family.
They share a deep understanding of the problem.
The scandal caused deep divisions.
adjectivecomparable
(Of a sound) low, or (of a color) strong and dark.
Grammar: Comparable; used mainly before nouns such as voice, red, blue, and green.
Patterns
- deep voice
- deep red or blue
- deep note
- deep green
A deep voice came from the back row.
She chose a deep red for the door.
The cello held one long deep note.
Word forms
| comparative | deeper |
|---|---|
| superlative | deepest |
Common combinations
- deep water
- Stay near shore; the deep water is dangerous.
- deep understanding
- Years of repair work gave him a deep understanding of engines.
- deep in thought
- She sat by the window, deep in thought.
- deep voice
- A deep voice announced the train delay.
- deep red
- The apples turned a deep red by October.
Synonyms and how they differ
- profound
- Profound is stronger and more formal for ideas, feelings, or change; deep is more everyday.
- extensive
- Extensive stresses large range or amount; deep stresses distance, intensity, or layers.
- low
- For sound, low is the neutral term; deep often adds richness or force.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: deep or depth? deep or high?
deep vs depth
Deep is an adjective; depth is the noun for how deep something is.
deep vs high
Use deep for downward or inward extent; use high or tall for upward extent.
Practice
The lake is too ___ near the drop-off for beginner swimmers.
Choose one answer.
Deep correctly describes far-down water that is unsafe for beginners. Shallow is the opposite, long describes sideways extent, and high describes upward extent.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “deep”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.