box canyon

American  

noun

1. a canyon with steep side walls terminating headwards in a vertical cliff.

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box canyon British  

noun

1. a canyon with vertical or almost vertical walls

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Etymology

Origin of box canyon

An Americanism dating back to 1870–75

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

box canyon

The feud is unfolding in one of America’s most spectacular corners, a box canyon beneath a concentration of 13,000- and 14,000-foot peaks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 1, 2026

They discover the simplicity and warmth of life in a town at the dead end of a box canyon with a year-round population of roughly 300.

From New York Times ● Apr. 21, 2024

Two days later, the Hotshots were battling the wildfire in a box canyon when the winds suddenly shifted and the flames rapidly raced toward them.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 29, 2023

“The site itself was isolated in a box canyon above the community, and there hadn’t been much development up there,” Newman said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 15, 2023

The route took us up the gently sloping floor of the Western Cwm, the highest box canyon on earth, a horseshoe-shaped defile gouged from the heart of the Everest massif by the Khumbu Glacier.

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer