valley
an elongated depression between uplands, hills, or mountains, especially one following the course of a stream.
an extensive, more or less flat, and relatively low region drained by a great river system.
any depression or hollow resembling a valley.
a low point or interval in any process, representation, or situation.
any place, period, or situation that is filled with fear, gloom, foreboding, or the like: the valley of despair.
Architecture. a depression or angle formed by the meeting of two inclined sides of a roof.
the lower phase of a horizontal wave motion.
Origin of valley
1Other words from valley
- val·ley·like, adjective
- in·ter·val·ley, noun
Words Nearby valley
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use valley in a sentence
Northern Pennsylvania is a beautiful mix of foothills and valleys, and through each valley inevitably runs a myriad of branching streams in the midst of a floodplain.
How to hunt for star-nosed moles (and their holes) | Kenneth Catania | September 15, 2020 | Popular-ScienceUsing this tech, the utility can hone in on which peaks and valleys from backcountry mountain ranges are prone to high wind speeds.
Environment Report: State Throws Cold Water on Pricing Scheme | MacKenzie Elmer | September 14, 2020 | Voice of San DiegoThere’s a so-called valley of death between basic science and an actual commercial product.
Will a Covid-19 Vaccine Change the Future of Medical Research? (Ep. 430) | Stephen J. Dubner | August 27, 2020 | FreakonomicsOn March 18, in Srinagar, the largest city in the Himalayan region of Kashmir, a man tested positive for covid-19—the first in the valley.
How India became the world’s leader in internet shutdowns | Katie McLean | August 19, 2020 | MIT Technology ReviewThis valley also makes up a critical part of the monarch’s California breeding grounds.
Pesticides contaminate most food of western U.S. monarchs | Rebecca E. Hirsch | August 17, 2020 | Science News For Students
But the people from valley Stream had such a thick New York accent that was all around me.
Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness | Marlow Stern | January 7, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTThe region is marketed for visitors as “Aryan valley,” and many citizens have taken to tacking on “Aryan” to their last names.
Time was suspended as the world watched and waited for news about the young, brave girl from the Swat valley.
Promoting Girls’ Education Isn’t Enough: Malala Can Do More | Paula Kweskin | December 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTA brilliant Silicon valley entrepreneur may have found a way to get dark money out of politics without changing any laws.
Greer is a young, entrepreneurial, poker-loving Texan who ended up in Silicon valley.
San Antonio de Bexar lies in a fertile and well-irrigated valley, stretching westward from the river Salado.
When it cleared, the valley was a solid expanse of white, and the stars shone out as if in an Arctic sky.
Ramona | Helen Hunt JacksonAt the foot of the pass, the valley widened a little, though still with steep, snow-capped cliffs crowding it on either side.
Glances at Europe | Horace GreeleyIt was a sad day for Ramona and Alessandro when the kindly Hyers pulled up their tent-stakes and left the valley.
Ramona | Helen Hunt JacksonFor an Indian to sell a horse and wagon in the San Jacinto valley was not an easy thing, unless he would give them away.
Ramona | Helen Hunt Jackson
British Dictionary definitions for valley
/ (ˈvælɪ) /
a long depression in the land surface, usually containing a river, formed by erosion or by movements in the earth's crust
the broad area drained by a single river system: the Thames valley
any elongated depression resembling a valley
the junction of a roof slope with another or with a wall
(modifier) relating to or proceeding by way of a valley: a valley railway
Origin of valley
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for valley
[ văl′ē ]
A long, narrow region of low land between ranges of mountains, hills, or other high areas, often having a river or stream running along the bottom. Valleys are most commonly formed through the erosion of land by rivers or glaciers. They also form where large regions of land are lowered because of geological faults.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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