Rocky Mountains

American  

[rok-ee moun-tnz] / ˈrɒk i ˈmaʊn tnz /

plural noun

1. the chief mountain system in North America, extending from central New Mexico to northern Alaska. Highest peak, Denali, 20,300 feet (6,187 meters).

---

Rocky Mountains British  

plural noun

1. the chief mountain system of W North America, extending from British Columbia to New Mexico: forms the Continental Divide. Highest peak: Mount Elbert, 4399 m (14 431 ft). Mount McKinley (6194 m (20 320 ft)), in the Alaska Range, is not strictly part of the Rocky Mountains

---

Rocky Mountains Cultural  

1. Major mountain chain of western North America, running from Alaska to Mexico.

---

Etymology

Origin of Rocky Mountains

First recorded in 1800–05; translation of Canadian French les Montagnes des Roches, from Cree asini˙waciya, plural of asini˙waciy, equivalent to asini˙-, combining form of asiniy “stone, rock” + waciy “mountain,” originally referring to the Canadian Rockies

Example Sentences

Since his 2019 conviction in a Brooklyn federal court, El Chapo has been serving a life sentence plus 30 years in a Supermax prison high in the Colorado Rocky Mountains.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026

This year, the snowpack in the upper portion of the river’s watershed in the Rocky Mountains measures just 22% of average, the smallest on record.

From Los Angeles Times • May 2, 2026

One of the most remarkable efforts at evidence synthesis I’ve come across was a Level 7 decision about a vulnerable population of woodland caribou in Canada’s Rocky Mountains.

From Slate • Apr. 28, 2026

Many refused to speak to the media on Friday, noting that the presence of journalists in their otherwise quiet town in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains has been overwhelming.

From BBC • Feb. 14, 2026

Everywhere we turned, the Rocky Mountains seemed to be staring at me, like a tidal wave about to crash into the city.

From "The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan

Related Words

• sierra