coulee
Americannoun
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Chiefly Western U.S. and Western Canada. a deep ravine or gulch, usually dry, that has been formed by running water.
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a small valley.
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a low-lying area.
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a small intermittent stream.
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Geology. a stream of lava.
noun
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a flow of molten lava
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such lava when solidified
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a dry stream valley, especially a long steep-sided gorge or ravine that once carried melt water from a glacier
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a small intermittent stream in such a ravine
Etymology
Origin of coulee
1800–10, < Canadian French, French: a flowing, noun use of feminine of coulé, past participle of couler to flow < Latin cōlāre to filter, strain, derivative of cōlum strainer, sieve; colander, portcullis
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
One more dip down a coulee and back up again and I could see the house.
From Literature
On the APR’s 27,000-acre Sun Prairie unit more than 400 bison roam the coulees, bluffs and creek bottoms.
From Washington Times
Owls, golden sparrows, rough-legged hawks and other raptors arrive to take up their winter residence among the cliffs and coulees of the drainages.
From Seattle Times
Not to mention scenery that varies from winding roads along shimmering lakes to a variety of technical passages through narrow coulees and across broad plateaus with sweeping views of the distant mountains.
From Seattle Times
After two short miles, arrive at the head of a coulee dotted with three lakes and a small waterfall.
From Seattle Times
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.
