ravine
Americannoun
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:
"You hope it will have gone down the ravine and round rather than up through the village."
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
It plunged into a ravine in the predawn hours Sunday along a mountain road.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 23, 2026
On Sunday, he said the men died returning from the operation to dismantle the synthetic drug labs after the truck skidded off the road, fell down a ravine and burst into flames.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 21, 2026
The victims' vehicle, which was leading an official convoy of five cars, skidded off the road and plunged into a ravine, he said.
From Barron's ● Apr. 20, 2026
In the distance was a ravine and, at the bottom, a meandering creek.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
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
Authorities said at the time of his death that he fell from a height near the Salnitre caves in Collbato, an area marked by steep drops and ravines.
From Barron's ● May 19, 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
The air was foggy and the hills were cut with deep ravines.
From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan
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.
