Rocky Mountains

American  

[rok-ee moun-tnz] / ˈrɒk i ˈmaʊn tnz /

plural noun

1. the chief mountain system in North America, extending from central New Mexico to northern Alaska. Highest peak, Denali, 20,300 feet (6,187 meters).

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Rocky Mountains British  

plural noun

1. the chief mountain system of W North America, extending from British Columbia to New Mexico: forms the Continental Divide. Highest peak: Mount Elbert, 4399 m (14 431 ft). Mount McKinley (6194 m (20 320 ft)), in the Alaska Range, is not strictly part of the Rocky Mountains

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Rocky Mountains Cultural  

1. Major mountain chain of western North America, running from Alaska to Mexico.

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Etymology

Origin of Rocky Mountains

First recorded in 1800–05; translation of Canadian French les Montagnes des Roches, from Cree asini˙waciya, plural of asini˙waciy, equivalent to asini˙-, combining form of asiniy “stone, rock” + waciy “mountain,” originally referring to the Canadian Rockies

Example Sentences

Since 2000, the Colorado has shrunk dramatically as climate change intensifies dry conditions in the Rocky Mountains.

From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2026

Since his 2019 conviction in a Brooklyn federal court, El Chapo has been serving a life sentence plus 30 years in a Supermax prison high in the Colorado Rocky Mountains.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026

This year, the snowpack in the upper portion of the river’s watershed in the Rocky Mountains measures just 22% of average, the smallest on record.

From Los Angeles Times • May 2, 2026

From the Rocky Mountains west to California and into Western Canada, record numbers of resorts closed early this season.

From Slate • Apr. 11, 2026

In the distance, to the right of the car, in the east, rose the Wasatch Range of the Rocky Mountains.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

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