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

They found no gold but became the first Europeans to explore the Grand Canyon, the Rocky Mountains and the Great Plains.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026

One of the most remarkable efforts at evidence synthesis I’ve come across was a Level 7 decision about a vulnerable population of woodland caribou in Canada’s Rocky Mountains.

From Slate • Apr. 28, 2026

The tragedy has shaken the tight-knit town of about 2,400 people, which is set along a few winding rural roads in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.

From BBC • Feb. 12, 2026

The Rocky Mountains are too big, too long, too important to have to be imposing.

From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck

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