Grand Coulee

American  

[koo-lee] / ˈku li /

noun

1. a dry canyon in central Washington: cut by the Columbia River in the glacial period. 52 miles (84 kilometers) long; over 400 feet (120 meters) deep.

2. a dam on the Columbia River at the northern end of this canyon. 550 feet (168 meters) high.

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Grand Coulee British  

/ ˈkuːlɪ /

noun

1. a canyon in central Washington State, over 120 m (400 ft) deep, at the N end of which is situated the Grand Coulee Dam, on the Columbia River. Height of dam: 168 m (550 ft). Length of dam: 1310 m (4300 ft)

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Etymology

Origin of Grand Coulee

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

Air, liquid and slag discharges of heavy metals from the zinc and lead smelter resulted in contamination all the way to the Grand Coulee.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 6, 2024

From Grand Coulee Dam on the Columbia River to Hoover Dam on the Colorado, reservoirs have fueled toxic algae blooms, increased evaporation and flooded land that was home to Native Americans for millennia.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 26, 2023

The Grand Coulee Dam and the Bonneville Dam projects, funded by the federal Public Works Administration, hired 3,000 workers during the Depression.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 7, 2023

Banks Lake pumped into by the Grand Coulee presents a significant opportunity for power generation as it descends into the lower Columbia Basin for irrigation.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 15, 2022

In mid-September, Joe returned from the Grand Coulee with enough money to make it through another year if he was thrifty.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown