canyon

¹ American  

[kan-yuhn] / ˈkæn yən /

Or cañon

noun

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 yən /

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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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

Example Sentences

It was in the foothills overlooking the river bottoms, in the mouth of a blue little canyon.

From Literature

On land, dramatic canyons such as the Grand Canyon are carved over time by flowing rivers.

From Science Daily

“Undercover Boss” premiered during the Great Recession, when the wage gap had yawned into a canyon.

From Salon

An hour’s drive from Los Angeles are deserts, canyons and the thousand square miles of the Angeles National Forest.

From Los Angeles Times

But the geographical distance is small compared to the geopolitical canyon the Games hope to bridge.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• gorge
• gully
• ravine
• valley