Main Difference
The main difference between Bay and Gulf is that the Bay is a body of water connected to an ocean or lake, formed by an indentation of the shoreline and Gulf is a large bay that is an arm of an ocean or sea.
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Bay
A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a type of smaller bay with a circular inlet and narrow entrance. A fjord is a particularly steep bay shaped by glacial activity.
Bays can be the estuary of a river, such as the Chesapeake Bay, an estuary of the Susquehanna River. Bays may also be nested within each other; for example, James Bay is an arm of Hudson Bay in northeastern Canada. Some large bays, such as the Bay of Bengal and the Hudson Bay, have varied marine geology.
The land surrounding a bay often reduces the strength of winds and blocks waves. Bays were significant in the history of human settlement because they provided a safe place for fishing. Later they were important in the development of sea trade as the safe anchorage they provide encouraged their selection as ports.
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), also called the Law of the Sea defines a bay as a well-marked indentation whose penetration is in such proportion to the width of its mouth as to contain land-locked waters and constitute more than a mere curvature of the coast. An indentation shall not, however, be regarded as a bay unless its area is as large as, or larger than, that of the semi-circle whose diameter is a line drawn across the mouth of that indentation.
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Gulf
A gulf is a large inlet from the ocean into the landmass, typically with a narrower opening than a bay; though this is not observable in all geographic areas so named. The term gulf was traditionally used for large, highly indented, navigable bodies of salt water which are enclosed by the coastline. Many gulfs are major shipping areas, such as the Persian Gulf, Gulf of Mexico, and Gulf of Aden.
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Bay (noun)
A berry.
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Bay (noun)
, a tree or shrub of the family Lauraceae, having dark green leaves and berries.
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Bay (noun)
Bay leaf, the leaf of this or certain other species of tree or shrub, used as a herb.
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Bay (noun)
The leaves of this shrub, woven into a garland used to reward a champion or victor; hence, fame, victory.
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Bay (noun)
A tract covered with bay trees.
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Bay (noun)
A kind of mahogany obtained from Campeche in Mexico.
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Bay (noun)
A body of water (especially the sea) more or less three-quarters surrounded by land.
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Bay (noun)
A bank or dam to keep back water.
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Bay (noun)
An opening in a wall, especially between two columns.
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Bay (noun)
An internal recess; a compartment or area surrounded on three sides.
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Bay (noun)
The distance between two supports in a vault or building with a pitched roof.
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Bay (noun)
Each of the spaces, port and starboard, between decks, forward of the bitts, in sailing warships.
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Bay (noun)
A bay platform.
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Bay (noun)
A bay window.
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Bay (noun)
The excited howling of dogs when hunting or being attacked.
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Bay (noun)
The climactic confrontation between hunting-dogs and their prey.
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Bay (noun)
A state of being obliged to face an antagonist or a difficulty, when escape has become impossible.
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Bay (noun)
A brown colour/color of the coat of some horses.
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Bay (noun)
A horse of this color.
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Bay (verb)
To howl.
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Bay (verb)
To bark at; hence, to follow with barking; to bring or drive to bay.
“to bay the bear”
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Bay (verb)
To pursue noisily, like a pack of hounds.
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Bay (adjective)
Of a reddish-brown colour (especially of horses).
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Gulf (noun)
A hollow place in the earth; an abyss; a deep chasm or basin.
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Gulf (noun)
That which swallows; the gullet.
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Gulf (noun)
That which swallows irretrievably; a whirlpool; a sucking eddy.
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Gulf (noun)
A portion of an ocean or sea extending into the land; a partially landlocked sea
“the Gulf of Mexico”
“the Persian Gulf”
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Gulf (noun)
A large deposit of ore in a lode.
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Gulf (noun)
A difference, especially a large difference, between groups
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Gulf (noun)
The bottom part of a list of those awarded a degree, for those who have only just passed.
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Gulf (verb)
To award a degree to somebody who has only just passed sufficiently.