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• canyon
  canyon

  noun

  a deep valley with steep sides, often with a stream flowing through it.
• Canyon
  Canyon

  noun

  a town in N Texas.

canyon

¹ American  

[kan-yuhn] / ˈkæn jən /

Or cañon

noun

• canyons
  plural

1. a deep valley with steep sides, often with a stream flowing through it.

   Synonyms:

   coulee, arroyo, gap, pass, ravine, gully, gorge

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Canyon ² American  

[kan-yuhn] / ˈkæn jən /

noun

1. a town in N Texas.

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canyon British  

/ ˈkænjən /

noun

1. a gorge or ravine, esp in North America, usually formed by the down-cutting of a river in a dry area where there is insufficient rainfall to erode the sides of the valley

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canyon Scientific  

/ kăn′yən /

1. A long, deep, narrow valley with steep cliff walls, cut into the Earth by running water and often having a stream at the bottom.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• canyons
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of canyon

An Americanism first recorded in 1835–45; from Colonial Spanish (Mexico, southwestern U.S.), Spanish cañón “a long tube, a hollow,” equivalent to cañ(a) “tube” (from Latin canna cane ) + -on augmentative suffix

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Explanation

A canyon is a deep, narrow valley surrounded by tall cliffs. Because a canyon is often very deep, be very cautious when standing on the rocky cliffs above. The noun canyon refers to a deep ravine that has been cut into the earth's surface over a long period of time by erosion from a running river. Also known as a gorge, it usually has very steep walls with rocky cliffs. One of the most famous examples is the Grand Canyon, which was cut by the Colorado River. It's an astounding 277 miles long, up to 18 miles wide, and a mile deep.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

canyon Canyon canyons

The outdoor space boasts yet another fireplace along with sweeping city and canyon views, according to the listing.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026

More than 60 people were evacuated and two bodies were found after heavy rains hit the canyon over the weekend, the National Park Service said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026

It asked anyone who knew of hikers or backpackers who were in the inner canyon along the Bright Angel Creek corridor on Saturday to get in touch.

From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026

Big Bend, bordering Mexico in West Texas, features volcanic dikes, dinosaur bones and stunning canyon views.

From Salon ● Aug. 18, 2026

A huge jet plane, like the kind you flew to other cities in, was coming down the canyon right toward them.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz

Some areas of the Santa Monica Mountains — particularly along the coast, near Corral Canyon in Malibu — see fire every eight years on average.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026

She noted that tourists and security footage showed the dog had not wandered beyond a roughly two-mile stretch of the Canyon Village area.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026

The Los Angeles County Fire Department issued an evacuation order for the Encinal Canyon area of Malibu, with surrounding areas under evacuation warnings.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

Ally Walsh, the co-founder of Canyon Coffee, cried the first time she saw the house where she now lives in Mount Washington, Los Angeles.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

The second case concerned a man in his twenties who was driving a truck with his wife in the passenger seat down Blacksmith Fork Canyon, a steep, windy road.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

"She knew it would be very hot and it can get to about 40C, and the feeling is higher because it's in the canyons," Brown said.

From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026

Today, professional operators have developed guided, client-friendly methods to experience the landscape, including harnessed rope swings off cliffs, walking highlines across canyons, and navigating cliff-top terrain in specialized 4×4 jeeps.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

The discovery comes from a Curtin University-led study that explored the Cape Range and Cloates submarine canyons, located about 1200 kilometers north of Perth.

From Science Daily ● May 14, 2026

Chuparosa and brittlebush are flowering along the grade and in canyons.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 10, 2026

Her eyes had distance in them; when he looked at her he saw miles spreading into canyons and hills.

From "Ceremony:" by Leslie Marmon Silko

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Related Words

• gorge
• gully
• ravine
• valley

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