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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

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

There’s a friendship bracelet from a volunteer trip to Haiti, a horseshoe found on a Grand Canyon trail and antique lace from a market in Bruges, Belgium.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 1, 2026

Brooklyn declined a $6.25-million option on Williams, a 6-foot-9 Sierra Canyon alumnus who averaged 10.2 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game last season.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 1, 2026

Keaton, who died from primary bacterial pneumonia at the age of 79, spent years meticulously renovating the Sullivan Canyon abode.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 22, 2026

The parade, which kicks off at 1400 GMT, will see the Knicks travel from Bowling Green at the bottom of Manhattan to City Hall, a 10-block route known as the "Canyon of Heroes."

From Barron's • Jun. 18, 2026

We visited other unusual rock formations in Oregon, New Mexico, and Texas—and even spent one night at the bottom of the Grand Canyon.

From "Flying to the Moon: An Astronaut's Story" by Michael Collins

Related Words

• gorge
• gully
• ravine
• valley