valley

American  

[val-ee] / ˈvæl i /

noun

valleys plural

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

Derived Forms

• valleylike
  adjective
• intervalley
  noun

Inflected Forms

noun

• valleys
  plural

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

Explanation

If you live in a valley, you probably get more fog than they do up in the hills around you. Fog tends to be more common down in the valley, the low area that often forms near a river. If you're into fishing, swimming, and tubing, then a valley is the place for you, because valleys usually have rivers or other streams running through them. The Napa Valley is an area in northern California that is famous for its good wine and food, though technically it's not all a valley; parts of it are quite hilly. Another famous valley, the San Fernando, lies at the foot of the hills of Los Angeles. You might have heard of the infamous "Valley Girl." In movies, Valley girls are usually blonde and say "like" and "totally" a lot. "Like, oh, my God! That low, flat stretch of terrain, is like, totally a valley!"

Example Sentences

Astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt spent three days on the surface in the Taurus-Littrow valley.

From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026

Coachella is in the same valley every April.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026

Israel's military issued evacuation warnings for more than a dozen villages in Lebanon's south and the eastern Bekaa valley.

From Barron's • May 24, 2026

Most relied on the free shuttle that circles the valley floor.

From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026

When Torak crawled stiffly from his sleeping-sack, the valley below had disappeared.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

Related Words

• basin
• canyon
• gorge
• lowland
• plain