valley

American  

[val-ee] / ˈvæl i /

noun

plural

valleys

1. an elongated depression between uplands, hills, or mountains, especially one following the course of a stream.

2. an extensive, more or less flat, and relatively low region drained by a great river system.

3. any depression or hollow resembling a valley.

4. a low point or interval in any process, representation, or situation.

5. any place, period, or situation that is filled with fear, gloom, foreboding, or the like.

   the valley of despair.

6. Architecture. a depression or angle formed by the meeting of two inclined sides of a roof.

7. the lower phase of a horizontal wave motion.

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valley British  

/ ˈvælɪ /

noun

1. a long depression in the land surface, usually containing a river, formed by erosion or by movements in the earth's crust

2. the broad area drained by a single river system

   the Thames valley

3. any elongated depression resembling a valley

4. the junction of a roof slope with another or with a wall

5. (modifier) relating to or proceeding by way of a valley

   a valley railway

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valley Scientific  

/ văl′ē /

1. A long, narrow region of low land between ranges of mountains, hills, or other high areas, often having a river or stream running along the bottom. Valleys are most commonly formed through the erosion of land by rivers or glaciers. They also form where large regions of land are lowered because of geological faults.

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Other Word Forms

• intervalley noun
• valleylike adjective

Etymology

Origin of valley

1250–1300; Middle English valeie, valey < Old French valee, equivalent to val vale ( def. ) + -ee < Latin -āta, feminine of -ātus -ate ¹

Example Sentences

This was a leader who rolled up his sleeves and stacked sandbags alongside firemen and volunteers, when toxic red sludge from a bauxite mine engulfed a Hungarian valley and threatened the Danube shore in 2010.

From BBC • Apr. 5, 2026

Estate agents in the area said the Metro upgrade to the core valley railway lines had made Cardiff "more accessible" for people who rely on public transport to commute to work.

From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026

The burst waters course through the Goma valley, drawing attention from security forces stationed at a paramilitary camp in Dzanak five miles away.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

In the valley below sat the fee booth for the east entrance.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026

The next morning, a gray-pink dawn it was, the growing light soft on the snow, we came down from the hills into the valley, a valley we knew and loved so well.

From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo

Related Words

• basin
• canyon
• gorge
• lowland
• plain