ravine
Americannoun
-
ravines
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of ravine
1400–50; late Middle English < Middle French: torrent, Old French: a violent rushing; see raven 2
Explanation
In a Western, outlaws will lie in wait at the top of a ravine, or narrow valley, until they see a traveler entering at the bottom. Then, the outlaws will come pounding down the ravine's steep sides. Ravines can be lonely and violent places averse to settlement as nothing can be built along their steep sides. The word ravine itself derives from the archaic rapin, which is a violent seizure of property. During times of heavy rains and snow melt, a ravine may be filled with violent, rushing water.
Vocabulary lists containing ravine
"The Ravine," Vocabulary from the short story
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Unit 4: Powerful Openings
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"The Ravine" by Graham Salisbury
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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.
See Examples For:
On Monday afternoon, low cloud shrouded the deep ravine, and the National Weather Service warned of more flooding with rain and thunderstorms in the forecast.
From Barron's ● Aug. 31, 2026
The only object of visual interest was a narrow ravine with a waterfall, and Kaufmann wrongly assumed that the house would face it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
Out the window, I noticed a spot in the alley where the thawing and freezing of ice had created a ravine, where car tires would get lodged and trap the driver.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
An Australian man has died after falling down a ravine while walking on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in Peru, local authorities have said.
From BBC ● May 22, 2026
The path led Hazel up an incline, and now she was moving along a ridge above the ravine.
From "Breadcrumbs" by Anne Ursu
He described the fire as a "very complex, very fast-moving" outbreak in a region with many ravines and homes in forested areas.
From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026
In the most commanding painting of this section, Jeong Seon’s “Clearing After Rain on Mt. Inwang” from 1751, roiling clusters of dark hills are split by hidden ravines and jutting waterfalls.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026
The area has thick forest and steep ravines.
From BBC ● Mar. 16, 2024
That was particularly threatening to people living in the steep hills and ravines around Acapulco’s bay, which are susceptible to mudslides.
From New York Times ● Oct. 25, 2023
He offered none of the help he’d given me, teaching me how to stand in the stirrups while going down steep ravines or how to squeeze my thighs when the horse leapt over a branch.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
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.
