Etimology
From Middle English depe, deep, dep, deop, from Old English dēop (“deep, profound; awful, mysterious; heinous; serious, solemn, earnest; extreme, great”), from Proto-West Germanic *deup, from Proto-Germanic *deupaz (“deep”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰewbʰ-nós, from *dʰewbʰ- (“deep”).
adjective
deep (comparative deeper, superlative deepest)
(of distance or position; also figurative) Extending far away from a point of reference, especially downwards.
(intellectual, social) Complex, involved.
(sound, voice) Low in pitch.
(of a color or flavour) Highly saturated; rich.
(sleep) Sound, heavy (describing a state of sleep from which one is not easily awoken).
Muddy; boggy; sandy; said of roads.
(of time) Distant in the past, ancient.
Examples
The lake is extremely deep.
We hiked into a deep valley between tall mountains.
There was a deep layer of dust on the floor; the room had not been disturbed for many years.
In the mid-1970s, the economy went into a deep recession.
We are in deep trouble.
Smooth runnes the Water, where the Brooke is deepe,
While Britain’s recession has been deep and unforgiving, in London it has been relatively shallow.
The shelves are 30 centimetres deep. — They are deep shelves.
The water was waist-deep.
There is an arm-deep hole in the wall.
a crowd three deep along the funeral procession
That cyclist's deep chest allows him to draw more air.
Here, in the transept and choir, where the service was being held, one was conscious every moment of an increasing brightness; colours glowing vividly beneath the circular chandeliers, and the rows of small lights on the choristers' desks flashed and sparkled in front of the boys' faces, deep linen collars, and red neckbands.
to take a deep breath / sigh / drink
Serene, smiling, enigmatic, she faced him with no fear whatever showing in her dark eyes. […] She put back a truant curl from her forehead where it had sought egress to the world, and looked him full in the face now, drawing a deep breath which caused the round of her bosom to lift the lace at her throat.
Diving down to deep wrecks can be dangerous.
I can't get the bullet out – it's too deep.
He is fielding at deep mid wicket.
She hit a ball into deep center field.
a deep volley
a deep run into the opposition half
Our defensive live is too deep. We need to move further up the field.
She returns serve from a very deep position.
Antonym: superficial
the brachialis is deep to the biceps
That is a deep thought!
They're in deep discussion.
a deep subject or plot
Why it was that the ancients had no landscape painting, is a question deep almost as the mystery of life, and harder of solution than all the problems of jurisprudence combined.
Deepe clearks ſhe dumb's
I never said I was deep, but I am profoundly shallow / My lack of knowledge is vast, and my horizons are narrow
Or doth she only seem to takeThe touch of change in calm or storm;But knows no more of transient formIn her deep self, than some dead lakeThat holds the shadow of a larkHung in the shadow of a heaven?
She has a very deep contralto voice.
The departure was not unduly prolonged. […] Within the door Mrs. Spoker hastily imparted to Mrs. Love a few final sentiments on the subject of Divine Intention in the disposition of buckets; farewells and last commiserations; a deep, guttural instigation to the horse; and the wheels of the waggonette crunched heavily away into obscurity.
That's a very deep shade of blue.
The spices impart a deep flavour to the dish.
The day was cool and snappy for August, and the Rise all green with a lavish nature. Now we plunged into a deep shade with the boughs lacing each other overhead, and crossed dainty, rustic bridges over the cold trout-streams, the boards giving back the clatter of our horses' feet: […].
He was in a deep sleep.
The ways in that vale were very deep.
deep time
in the deep past
Related words
synonyms
(of a hole, water, etc):
(having great meaning): heavy, meaningful, profound
(thick in a vertical direction): thick
(voluminous): great, large, voluminous
(low in pitch): low, low-pitched
(of a color, dark and highly saturated): bright, rich, vivid
(of sleep): fast, heavy
See also Thesaurus:deep
antonyms
(antonym(s) of "of a hole, water, etc"): shallow
(antonym(s) of "having great meaning"): frivolous, light, shallow, superficial
(antonym(s) of "in extent in a direction away from the observer"): shallow
(antonym(s) of "thick in a vertical direction"): shallow, thin
(antonym(s) of "voluminous"): shallow, small
(antonym(s) of "low in pitch"): high, high-pitched, piping
(antonym(s) of "of a color, dark and highly saturated"): light, pale, desaturated, washed-out
(antonym(s) of "of sleep"): light
hyponyms
ankle-deep
balls-deep
knee-deep
lip-deep
neck-deep
skin-deep
waist-deep
adverb
deep (comparative more deep or deeper, superlative most deep or deepest)
Far, especially far down through something or into something, physically or figuratively.
(also deeply) In a profound, not superficial, manner.
(also deeply) In large volume.
(sports) Back towards one's own goal, baseline, or similar.
Examples
The ogre lived in a cave deep underground.
We ventured deep into the forest.
His problems lie deep in the subconscious.
I am deep in debt.
Hepaticology, outside the temperate parts of the Northern Hemisphere, still lies deep in the shadow cast by that ultimate "closet taxonomist," Franz Stephani—a ghost whose shadow falls over us all.
I thought long and deep.
Deep verſt in books and ſhallow in himſelf,
breathe deep, drink deep
A little Learning is a dang'rous Thing; / Drink deep, or taſte not the Pierian Spring:
He's normally a midfield player, but today he's playing deep.
noun
deep (countable and uncountable, plural deeps)
(literary, with "the") The deep part of a lake, sea, etc.
(with "the") The sea, the ocean.
A deep hole or pit, a water well; an abyss.
A deep or innermost part of something in general.
(literary, with "the") A silent time; quiet isolation.
(rare) A deep shade of colour.
(US, rare) The profound part of a problem.
(cricket) A fielding position near the boundary.
Examples
creatures of the deep
Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterfalls: All thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.
And what delights can equal thoseThat stir the spirit’s inner deeps,When one that loves but knows not, reapsA truth from one that loves and knows?
the deep of night
For our blues we have the azures and ceruleans, lapis lazulis, the light and dusty, the powder blues, the deeps: royal, sapphire, navy, and marine […]
Russell is a safe pair of hands in the deep.