Depth of field is the difference between the distance of the nearest and farthest object appearing in the final image, which appears sharp to the human eye.
Shallow depth of field (shallow focus) is achieved by highlighting the subject and its separation from the background. It is used for example when shooting portraits.

Source: Wikipedia.org
Large depth of field (deep focus) is achieved by focusing on near and distant objects in the image. It is used for example when photographing landscapes.
Source: Wikipedia.org