- 1 having a large distance from the top or surface to the bottom a deep hole/well/river deep water/snow opposite shallow Oxford Collocations Dictionary verbsbe, look adverbextremely, fairly, very, … See full entry front to back
- 2 having a large distance from the front edge to the furthest point inside a deep cut/wound a deep space opposite shallow Oxford Collocations Dictionary verbsbe, look adverbextremely, fairly, very, … See full entry measurement
- 3 used to describe or ask about the depth of something The water is only a few inches deep. How deep is the wound? -deep
- 4(in adjectives) as far up or down as the point mentioned The water was only waist-deep so I walked ashore.
- 5(in adjectives) in the number of rows mentioned, one behind the other They were standing three-deep at the bar. breath/sigh
- 6 [usually before noun] taking in or giving out a lot of air She took a deep breath. He gave a deep sigh. sounds
- 7 low I heard his deep warm voice filling the room. a deep roar/groan Oxford Collocations Dictionary verbsbe, sound, become, … adverbextremely, fairly, very, … See full entry colours
- 8 strong and dark a rich deep red opposite pale sleep
- 9 a person in a deep sleep is difficult to wake to be in a deep sleep/trance/coma opposite light serious
- 10 extreme or serious He's in deep trouble. a deep economic recession The affair had exposed deep divisions within the party. a place of great power and of deep significance emotions
- 11 strongly felt synonym sincere deep respect a deep sense of loss Oxford Collocations Dictionary verbsbe, go, run, … adverbextremely, fairly, very, … See full entry knowledge
- 12 showing great knowledge or understanding a deep understanding difficult to understand
- 13 difficult to understand synonym profound This discussion's getting too deep for me. He pondered, as if over some deep philosophical point. involved
- 14deep in something fully involved in an activity or a state to be deep in thought/conversation He is often so deep in his books that he forgets to eat. The firm ended up deep in debt. person
- 15if a person is deep, they hide their real feelings and opinions She's always been a deep one, trusting no one. in sport
- 16to or from a position far down or across the field a deep ball from Brown see also depth Word OriginOld English dēop (adjective), dīope, dēope (adverb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch diep and German tief, also to dip.Word Familydeep adjective adverbdeeply adverbdeepen verbdepth nounExtra examples She stood knee deep in the water. The water looks quite deep there. This suspicion runs very deep among some government members. a very deep feeling of love He expressed deep concern over the government’s handling of the incident. He had a pale face with deep blue eyes. Her lipstick was a deep shade of scarlet. I felt a deep sense of loss when I heard of her death. None of the insights contained in the book were particularly deep. She had reached a deep understanding of the local culture. The colour is deeper when the grapes are dried. They spent hours discussing deep philosophical issues. This discussion is getting too deep for me. We heard a deep roar in the distance. We will need a deeper analysis of this problem. a deep cut/wound/space a deep hole/well/river deep water/snowIdioms
top to bottom
in a difficult situation where there are two equally unpleasant or unacceptable choices
(informal) to suddenly become very angry or emotional
(informal) in trouble or difficulty
in trouble I'll be in the shit if I don't get this work finished today. You’re in deep shit now.
(informal) to start or be made to start a new and difficult activity that you are not prepared for Junior hospital doctors are thrown in at the deep end in their first jobs.
Check pronunciation: deep
