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

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

"We investigated two sulfate-bearing sites near the vast Valles Marineris canyon system that included mysterious spectral bands seen from orbital data, as well as layered sulfates and intriguing geology," said Bishop.

From Science Daily • Mar. 10, 2026

The moderate Santa Ana wind event began to pick up on Friday and is also bringing gusty winds that are forecast to peak Saturday, possibly creating some concerns in the mountains and canyon passes.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 2026

Commercial-satellite photos released by the Martin Center show mobile missile launchers that had apparently exited one of the underground sites into a nearby canyon were destroyed before firing their missiles.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026

They make a canyon for the crosswalk and it’s very noble of them.

From Slate • Feb. 24, 2026

There were only a few homes on the west side of the canyon.

From "100 Sideways Miles" by Andrew Smith

Related Words

• gorge
• gully
• ravine
• valley