barranca

[ buh-rang-kuh; Spanish bahr-rahng-kah ]

/ bəˈræŋ kə; Spanish bɑrˈrɑŋ kɑ /

Save This Word!

noun, plural bar·ran·cas

[buh-rang-kuhz; Spanish bahr-rahng-kahs]. /bəˈræŋ kəz; Spanish bɑrˈrɑŋ kɑs/.

a steep-walled ravine or gorge.

a gully with steep sides; arroyo.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON “ITS” VS. “IT’S”!

Apostrophes can be tricky; prove you know the difference between "it’s" and "its" in this crafty quiz!

Question 1 of 8

On the farm, the feed for chicks is significantly different from the roosters’; ______ not even comparable.

it's

its

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of barranca

First recorded in 1685–95; from Spanish, variant of barranco, of obscure, probably pre-Latin origin

Words nearby barranca

barrage, barrage balloon, Barra Mansa, barramunda, barramundi, barranca, Barrancabermeja, Barranquilla, Barraquer's disease, Barras, barrator

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use barranca in a sentence

A gully cut through the walls of the barranca at a sharp angle, and the pack-trail followed the bottom of the depression.
Motor Matt's Daring, or, True to His Friends|Stanley R. Matthews
Before the barranca and the Black Caon were reached, a quivering line of gray had run along the tops of the eastern hills.
Motor Matt's Daring, or, True to His Friends|Stanley R. Matthews
It was now agreed that we should all ride down the side of the barranca together, until we could find a place to descend into it.
The Desert Home|Mayne Reid
It was a bright July morning four months after that fatal fight in the Spanish barranca.
The White Company|Arthur Conan Doyle

Right on up the barranca—towards the mountains—and they did not stop for food.
The Wolf Cub|Patrick Casey

British Dictionary definitions for barranca

barranca

barranco (bəˈræŋkəʊ)

/ (bəˈræŋkə) /

noun plural -cas or -cos

Southwestern US a ravine or precipice

Word Origin for barranca

C19: from Spanish, of uncertain origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012