deep.
Extending, reaching or positioned far from a point of reference, especially downwards.
Meaning & usage
Extending, reaching or positioned far from a point of reference, especially downwards. Extending far down from the top, or surface, to the bottom, literally or figuratively.
The lake is extremely deep.
We hiked into a deep valley between tall mountains.
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.
Diving down to deep wrecks can be dangerous.
I can't get the bullet out – it's too deep.
Extending, reaching or positioned far from a point of reference, especially downwards. Positioned far from the boundaries of or main approaches to (the specified place); interior.
Extending, reaching or positioned far from a point of reference, especially downwards. Far in extent in another (non-downwards, but generally also non-upwards) direction, especially front-to-back.
The shelves are 30 centimetres deep. — They are deep shelves.
That cyclist's deep chest allows him to draw more air.
Extending, reaching or positioned far from a point of reference, especially downwards. Extending to a level or length equivalent to the stated thing.
The water was waist-deep.
There is an arm-deep hole in the wall.
Extending, reaching or positioned far from a point of reference, especially downwards. In a (specified) number of rows or layers.
a crowd four deep along the funeral procession, with people two deep on the sidewalks
The fleet of ships was fifty sail deep.
Extending, reaching or positioned far from a point of reference, especially downwards. Voluminous.
to take a deep breath / sigh / drink
Extending, reaching or positioned far from a point of reference, especially downwards. Far from the center of the playing area, near to the boundary of the playing area, either in absolute terms or relative to a point of reference.
He is fielding at deep mid wicket.
She hit a ball into deep center field.
Extending, reaching or positioned far from a point of reference, especially downwards. Penetrating a long way, especially a long way forward.
a deep volley
a deep run into the opposition half
Extending, reaching or positioned far from a point of reference, especially downwards. Positioned back, or downfield, towards one's own goal, or towards or behind one's baseline or similar reference point.
Our defensive live is too deep. We need to move further up the field.
She returns serve from a very deep position.
Extending, reaching or positioned far from a point of reference, especially downwards. Further into the body.
the brachialis is deep to the biceps
Complex, involved. Profound, having great meaning or import, but possibly obscure or not obvious.
That is a deep thought!
Complex, involved. Significant, not superficial, in extent.
Your analysis does not cut deep enough yet.
They're in deep discussion.
Complex, involved. Hard to penetrate or comprehend; profound; intricate; obscure.
a deep subject or plot
Complex, involved. Of penetrating or far-reaching intellect; not superficial; thoroughly skilled; sagacious; cunning.
Complex, involved. Inner, underlying, true; relating to one’s inner or private being rather than what is visible on the surface.
Low in pitch.
She has a very deep contralto voice.
Highly saturated; rich.
That's a very deep shade of blue.
The spices impart a deep flavour to the dish.
Sound, heavy (describing a state of sleep from which one is not easily awoken).
He was in a deep sleep.
Muddy; boggy; sandy; said of roads.
Distant in the past, ancient.
deep time
in the deep past
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dʰewbʰ-der. Proto-Germanic *deupaz Proto-West Germanic *deup Old English dēop Middle English dep English deep From Middle English dep, deep, depe, 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- (“deep”). Cognates Cognate with Scots depe (“deep”), North Frisian diip, jip (“deep”), Saterland Frisian djoop (“deep”), West Frisian djip (“deep”), Dutch diep (“deep”), Low German deep (“deep”), Luxembourgish déif (“deep”), Central Franconian deep, deef (“deep”), German tief (“deep”), Alemannic German tüüf (“deep”), Mòcheno tiaf (“deep”), Vilamovian tif, tīf, tiif (“deep”), Yiddish טיף (tif, “deep”), Danish dyb (“deep”), Norwegian Nynorsk and Swedish djup (“deep”), Scanian djyber (“deep”), Norwegian Bokmål djup, dyp (“deep”), Faroese and Icelandic djúpur (“deep”), Gothic 𐌳𐌹𐌿𐍀𐍃 (diups, “deep”), Lithuanian dubùs (“deep, hollow”), Albanian det (“sea”), Welsh dwfn (“deep”).
Far, especially far down through something or into something, physically or figuratively.
The ogre lived in a cave deep underground.
We ventured deep into the forest.
In a profound, not superficial, manner.
I thought long and deep.
deep-laid
In large volume.
breathe deep, drink deep
Back towards one's own goal, baseline, or similar.
He's normally a midfield player, but today he's playing deep.
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dʰewbʰ-der. Proto-Germanic *deupaz Proto-West Germanic *deup Old English dēop Middle English dep English deep From Middle English dep, deep, depe, 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- (“deep”). Cognates Cognate with Scots depe (“deep”), North Frisian diip, jip (“deep”), Saterland Frisian djoop (“deep”), West Frisian djip (“deep”), Dutch diep (“deep”), Low German deep (“deep”), Luxembourgish déif (“deep”), Central Franconian deep, deef (“deep”), German tief (“deep”), Alemannic German tüüf (“deep”), Mòcheno tiaf (“deep”), Vilamovian tif, tīf, tiif (“deep”), Yiddish טיף (tif, “deep”), Danish dyb (“deep”), Norwegian Nynorsk and Swedish djup (“deep”), Scanian djyber (“deep”), Norwegian Bokmål djup, dyp (“deep”), Faroese and Icelandic djúpur (“deep”), Gothic 𐌳𐌹𐌿𐍀𐍃 (diups, “deep”), Lithuanian dubùs (“deep, hollow”), Albanian det (“sea”), Welsh dwfn (“deep”).
The deep part of a lake, sea or ocean.
creatures of the deep
The sea, the ocean.
A deep hole or pit, a water well; an abyss.
A deep or innermost part of something in general.
A silent time; quiet isolation.
the deep of night
A deep shade of colour.
The profound part of a problem.
A fielding position near the boundary.
Russell is a safe pair of hands in the deep.
A deep hotel pan.
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dʰewbʰ-der. Proto-Germanic *deupaz Proto-West Germanic *deup Old English dēop Middle English dep English deep From Middle English dep, deep, depe, 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- (“deep”). Cognates Cognate with Scots depe (“deep”), North Frisian diip, jip (“deep”), Saterland Frisian djoop (“deep”), West Frisian djip (“deep”), Dutch diep (“deep”), Low German deep (“deep”), Luxembourgish déif (“deep”), Central Franconian deep, deef (“deep”), German tief (“deep”), Alemannic German tüüf (“deep”), Mòcheno tiaf (“deep”), Vilamovian tif, tīf, tiif (“deep”), Yiddish טיף (tif, “deep”), Danish dyb (“deep”), Norwegian Nynorsk and Swedish djup (“deep”), Scanian djyber (“deep”), Norwegian Bokmål djup, dyp (“deep”), Faroese and Icelandic djúpur (“deep”), Gothic 𐌳𐌹𐌿𐍀𐍃 (diups, “deep”), Lithuanian dubùs (“deep, hollow”), Albanian det (“sea”), Welsh dwfn (“deep”).
To overthink; to treat as being deeper (“more profound, significant”) than in reality.
― Ugh, why are these road markings so awfully arranged? ― Quit deeping it bro, just drive, innit.
To think about, especially deeply (“profoundly”); to consider.
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dʰewbʰ-der. Proto-Germanic *deupaz Proto-West Germanic *deup Old English dēop Middle English dep English deep From Middle English dep, deep, depe, 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- (“deep”). Cognates Cognate with Scots depe (“deep”), North Frisian diip, jip (“deep”), Saterland Frisian djoop (“deep”), West Frisian djip (“deep”), Dutch diep (“deep”), Low German deep (“deep”), Luxembourgish déif (“deep”), Central Franconian deep, deef (“deep”), German tief (“deep”), Alemannic German tüüf (“deep”), Mòcheno tiaf (“deep”), Vilamovian tif, tīf, tiif (“deep”), Yiddish טיף (tif, “deep”), Danish dyb (“deep”), Norwegian Nynorsk and Swedish djup (“deep”), Scanian djyber (“deep”), Norwegian Bokmål djup, dyp (“deep”), Faroese and Icelandic djúpur (“deep”), Gothic 𐌳𐌹𐌿𐍀𐍃 (diups, “deep”), Lithuanian dubùs (“deep, hollow”), Albanian det (“sea”), Welsh dwfn (“deep”).
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.