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
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.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Gray, 48, had flown to Las Vegas and driven to the canyon on his own road trip.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026
The $38 gap in Asia is a canyon.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 16, 2026
Fellow car enthusiast Evan Sawyer said Baron admired the beauty of the canyon roads and found peace in driving calmly along them.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026
"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
A few stones roll over the lip of the canyon and fall toward us.
From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
