deep

comparative deeper · comparative more deep · superlative deepest · superlative most deep · alternative obsolete deepe

1. Extending, reaching or positioned far from a point of reference, especially downwards.
   1. alsofigurativelyExtending far down from the top, or surface, to the bottom, literally or figuratively.

      We are in deep trouble.

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      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.

      Smooth runnes the Water, where the Brooke is deepe,

      1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies. […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i], page 130, column 2

   2. alsofigurativelyPositioned far from the surface or other reference point, especially down through something or into something.

      Diving down to deep wrecks can be dangerous.

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      I can't get the bullet out – it's too deep.

   3. alsofigurativelyPositioned far from the boundaries of or main approaches to (the specified place); interior.

      Films shot on location in deep Africa were still a rare exсерtion in 1960.

      2021, Roland Schaefli, John Wayne Was Here, page 97

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      He [the panda] comes from deepest Asia , high up in the remote mountains of Szechwan and Kansu. In addition to that he is further protected by the fact that he lives in the secure fastnesses of the bamboo jungles.

      1951, Roy Chapman Andrews, Nature's Ways; how Nature Takes Care of Its Own, page 147

      Impressive though Egyptian culture was, it was in deep Africa that Jung came closer to understanding himself as a man.

      1999, Vivianne Crowley, Jung: A Journey of Transformation, page 91

      Herodotus' remark about the Ethiopians 'who lived in the south' would refer to the people from deeper Africa, south of the Atlas Mountains, of whom a small number may here and there have seeped into North Africa, perhaps via the Nile Valley or by trans-Sahara trade routes, […]

      2025, Louise Cilliers, Roman North Africa

   4. alsofigurativelyFar in extent in another (non-downwards, but generally also non-upwards) direction, especially front-to-back.

      That cyclist's deep chest allows him to draw more air.

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      The shelves are 30 centimetres deep. — They are deep shelves.

      Synonyms: thick

   5. alsofigurativelyin compoundsExtending to a level or length equivalent to the stated thing.

      The water was waist-deep.

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      There is an arm-deep hole in the wall.

   6. alsofigurativelyIn a (specified) number of rows or layers.

      The fleet of ships was fifty sail deep.

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      a crowd four deep along the funeral procession, with people two deep on the sidewalks

   7. alsofigurativelyVoluminous.

      to take a deep breath / sigh / drink

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      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.

      1910, Emerson Hough, chapter I, in The Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC

      Synonyms: great, large, voluminous

   8. alsofigurativelyball gamesFar 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.

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      She hit a ball into deep center field.

   9. alsofigurativelysports such as soccerhobbiesPenetrating a long way, especially a long way forward.

      a deep volley

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      a deep run into the opposition half

   10. alsofigurativelysports such as soccerAmerican footballPositioned back, or downfield, towards one's own goal, or towards or behind one's baseline or similar reference point.

       She returns serve from a very deep position.

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       Our defensive live is too deep. We need to move further up the field.

   11. alsofigurativelyoftenanatomyFurther into the body.

       the brachialis is deep to the biceps

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       The superficial fascia surrounds the body and includes subcutaneous fat; the deep fascia surrounds the musculoskeletal system; the meningeal fascia surrounds the nervous system; the visceral fascia surrounds body cavities and organs.

       2018 November 8, Dr. Melina Jampolis, “The real science behind fascia ailments”, in CNN

       Antonyms: superficial

2. Complex, involved.
   1. intellectual; socialProfound, having great meaning or import, but possibly obscure or not obvious.

      That is a deep thought!

      Synonyms: heavy, meaningful, profound

   2. intellectual; socialSignificant, not superficial, in extent.

      They're in deep discussion.

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      Your analysis does not cut deep enough yet.

      And it's me you need to show / How deep is your love?

      1977, “How Deep is Your Love”, performed by Bee Gees

   3. intellectual; socialHard to penetrate or comprehend; profound; intricate; obscure.

      a deep subject or plot

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      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.

      c. 1840, Thomas De Quincey

   4. intellectual; socialOf penetrating or far-reaching intellect; not superficial; thoroughly skilled; sagacious; cunning.

      Deepe clearks ſhe dumb's

      c. 1607–1608 (date written), William Shakespeare, [George Wilkins?], The Late, and Much Admired Play, Called Pericles, Prince of Tyre. […], London: […] [William White and Thomas Creede] for Henry Gosson, […], published 1609, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i]

      1 more example

      I never said I was deep, but I am profoundly shallow / My lack of knowledge is vast, and my horizons are narrow

      2009, Jarvis Cocker, “I Never Said I Was Deep”, in Further Complications.

   5. intellectual; socialInner, underlying, true; relating to one’s inner or private being rather than what is visible on the surface.

      Or doth she only seem to take ⁠The touch of change in calm or storm; ⁠But knows no more of transient form In her deep self, than some dead lake That holds the shadow of a lark ⁠Hung in the shadow of a heaven?

      1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto XVI”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 26

3. sound; voice; sound; voiceLow in pitch.

   She has a very deep contralto voice.

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   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.

   1921, Ben Travers, chapter 5, in A Cuckoo in the Nest, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, published 1925, →OCLC

   Synonyms: low, low-pitched

4. Highly saturated; rich.

   That's a very deep shade of blue.

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   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:[…].

   1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter VIII, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC

   Synonyms: bright, rich, vivid

5. sleepSound, heavy (describing a state of sleep from which one is not easily awoken).

   He was in a deep sleep.

   Synonyms: fast, heavy

6. Muddy; boggy; sandy; said of roads.

   The ways in that vale were very deep.

   1702–1704, Edward [Hyde, 1st] Earl of Clarendon, (please specify |book=I to XVI), in The History of the Rebellion and Civil Wars in England, Begun in the Year 1641. […], Oxford, Oxfordshire: Printed at the [Sheldonian] Theater

7. Distant in the past, ancient.

   deep time

   1 more example

   in the deep past

comparative deeper · comparative more deep · superlative deepest · superlative most deep · alternative obsolete deepe

1. Far, especially far down through something or into something, physically or figuratively.

   I am deep in debt.

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   The ogre lived in a cave deep underground.

   We ventured deep into the forest.

   His problems lie deep in the subconscious.

   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.

   1992, Rudolf M[athias] Schuster, The Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of North America: East of the Hundredth Meridian, volume V, Chicago, Ill.: Field Museum of Natural History, →ISBN, page vii

   It is one of the ironies of capital cities that each acts as a symbol of its nation, and yet few are even remotely representative of it. London has always set itself apart from the rest of Britain — but political, economic and social trends are conspiring to drive that wedge deeper.

   2013 September 28, Kenan Malik, “London Is Special, but Not That Special”, in The New York Times, retrieved 28 Sep 2013

2. also deeplyIn a profound, not superficial, manner.

   deep-laid

   2 more examples

   I thought long and deep.

   Deep verſt in books and ſhallow in himſelf,

   1671, John Milton, “The Fourth Book”, in Paradise Regain’d. A Poem. In IV Books. To which is Added, Samson Agonistes, London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for John Starkey […], →OCLC, page 95, line 324

3. also deeplyIn large volume.

   breathe deep, drink deep

   1 more example

   A little Learning is a dang'rous Thing; / Drink deep, or taſte not the Pierian Spring:

   1711 May, [Alexander Pope], An Essay on Criticism, London: […] W[illiam] Lewis […]; and sold by W[illiam] Taylor […], T[homas] Osborn[e] […], and J[ohn] Graves […], →OCLC, page 14

4. hobbiesBack towards one's own goal, baseline, or similar.

   He's normally a midfield player, but today he's playing deep.

plural deeps · alternative obsolete deepe

1. countableliteraryuncountablewith definite articleThe deep part of a lake, sea or ocean.

   creatures of the deep

2. countableuncountablewith definite articleThe sea, the ocean.

   How few! yet how they creep / Through my fingers to the deep, / While I weep—while I weep! / O God! can I not grasp / Them with a tighter clasp?

   1849 March 31, Edgar Allan Poe, “A Dream Within a Dream”, in The Works of the Late Edgar Allan Poe: […], volumes II (Poems and Miscellanies), New York, N.Y.: J. S. Redfield, […], published 1850, →OCLC, page 40

3. countableuncountableA deep hole or pit, a water well; an abyss.

   Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterfalls: All thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.

   Psalm 42 verse 7

4. countableuncountableA deep or innermost part of something in general.

   And what delights can equal those ⁠That stir the spirit’s inner deeps, ⁠When one that loves but knows not, reaps A truth from one that loves and knows?

   1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto XLI”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 64

5. countableliteraryuncountablewith definite articleA silent time; quiet isolation.

   the deep of night

6. countablerareuncountableA deep shade of colour.

   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 […]

   2014, William H. Gass, On Being Blue: A Philosophical Inquiry, page 59

7. UScountablerareuncountableThe profound part of a problem.
8. countableuncountableball gamesA fielding position near the boundary.

   Russell is a safe pair of hands in the deep.

9. countableslanguncountablecookingA deep hotel pan.

   Coordinate term: shallow

present singular third person deeps · participle present deeping · participle past deeped · past deeped · alternative obsolete deepe

1. Multicultural London EnglishslangtransitiveTo 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.

2. Multicultural London EnglishslangtransitiveTo think about, especially deeply (“profoundly”); to consider.

   No Picasso, I don't care about resistance (Deep dat).

   2019 October 25, “Fact”performed by J. Mulla, MBandz

   2 more examples

   I think I better leave it. I don't wanna beat it, this is not a Michael phase. Every time I deep it, man dem wan' eat it. Trying to recycle, babe.

   2020 February 10, “Daffy Duckin'”performed by Angel, Chaz Marcus

   I grew up so fucked but I didn't even deep it. I'm numb to the feelin' of grievin'.

   2021 July 23, “Heart Attack” (track 11), in We're All Alone In This Together, performed by Dave

plural Deeps

1. A surname.