gulf states
gulf states — noun
1. the group of eight Middle Eastern countries whose shores line the Persian Gulf,
the group of eight Middle Eastern countries whose shores line the Persian Gulf, with Iran and Iraq on the eastern side, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, and Oman along the western and southern coasts
Felix works in the Gulf states as a civil engineer, with his office in Dubai.
pattern: work in the Gulf states + as [job]
Yasmine watched a line of tankers pull away from the Gulf states oil terminal at Jubail just after dawn.
Nora spoke about water shortages in the Gulf states at a conference in Berlin.
Imani's uncle moved to the Gulf states long ago and opened a shop in Manama.
A Qatari exporter sent a shipment of Gulf states aluminium to a factory outside Osaka.
- Persian Gulf countries
a more explicit term that leaves no doubt about which gulf is meant
- GCC states
narrower — refers only to the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council, excluding Iran and Iraq
- Arabian Gulf states
a term used in some Arab countries; less common internationally
用法筆記
The term can be ambiguous: sometimes 'the Gulf states' refers only to the six GCC monarchies (excluding Iran and Iraq), while at other times it includes all eight countries that border the Persian Gulf.
2. the five states in the American South whose coastline lies along the Gulf — Texa
the five states in the American South whose coastline lies along the Gulf — Texas and Louisiana in the west, then Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida moving eastward
Hurricane Katrina flooded large areas of the Gulf states of Louisiana and Mississippi.
Aarav's grandparents sold their Chicago apartment and retired to the Gulf states.
pattern: retire to the Gulf states
The Gulf states of Texas and Louisiana run many of America's largest oil refineries.
Heloísa spent a summer driving through all five Gulf states along the coast.
Mizuki studied the shrimp industry in the Gulf states for her research project.
- Gulf Coast states
a more common term in American English, explicitly referring to the coastline
- states along the Gulf
a longer, explanatory variant used in formal writing
用法筆記
In US contexts, 'the Gulf states' is unambiguous. Readers outside the United States should be aware that in international news the same phrase often refers to the Persian Gulf countries instead.