Death Valley

American  

noun

1. an arid basin in eastern California and southern Nevada: lowest land in North America. About 1,500 square miles (3,900 square kilometers); 280 feet (85 meters) below sea level.

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Death Valley British  

noun

1. a desert valley in E California and W Nevada: the lowest, hottest, and driest area of the US. Lowest point: 86 m (282 ft) below sea level. Area: about 3885 sq km (1500 sq miles)

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Death Valley Cultural  

1. Desert valley in southeastern California and southwestern Nevada.

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The lowest point in North America — 282 feet below sea level.

Etymology

Origin of Death Valley

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

After tracing Highway 127 along the edge of Death Valley, the journey now shifts south.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026

Silva woke up at 5 a.m. last Wednesday to travel from her Las Vegas home to Death Valley National Park, hoping to beat the heat and the crowds to the superbloom.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

Death Valley on Thursday scorched in 40C degrees while the often cool and foggy San Francisco tied its historic March record at 29C degrees, and skiers in Colorado were hitting the slopes shirtless.

From Barron's • Mar. 20, 2026

Previous superblooms in Death Valley occurred in 1998, 2005 and 2016.

From BBC • Mar. 10, 2026

He was reportedly the first man to send a car down into Death Valley and the first to push over the snowbanks of the Sierra Nevada, performing the feat on an annual basis.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand