A canyon is a long, narrow valley with very steep sides.
...the Grand Canyon.
Synonyms: gorge, pass, gulf, valley More Synonyms of canyon
canyon in British English
or cañon (ˈkænjən)
noun
a gorge or ravine, esp in North America, usually formed by the down-cutting of a river in a dry areawhere there is insufficient rainfall to erode the sides of the valley
Word origin
C19: from Spanish cañón, from caña tube, from Latin canna cane
canyon in American English
(ˈkænjən)
US
noun
a long, narrow valley between high cliffs, often with a stream flowing through it
Word origin
AmSp cañón < Sp, a pipe, tube, gorge < caño, a tube < L canna, a reed: see cane
Examples of 'canyon' in a sentence
canyon
Pacific, but we took a few days in minibus and coach, crawling up stupendous ridges and plunging down into what felt more like canyons than valleys.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Or delve deeper into the canyon on a rafting trip.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
The problem was that the towers were grouped together so closely that winds were squeezed round them like narrow canyons.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
And have you tried to take a picture in this concrete canyon without any office block appearing in the back of the shot?
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
So they have to snake their way up circuitous routes, through canyons and valleys.
Christianity Today (2000)
Then we saw the desert really come alive on a Jeep safari through the steep canyons.
The Sun (2013)
A glimpse of green amid the concrete canyons.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
A nearby window affords a breathtaking view of a deep canyon that is home to many of the birds he is famous for watching.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Sometimes the landscape was boring, but it could suddenly change to deep canyons as impressive as Arizona.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
In other languages
canyon
British English: canyon NOUN
A canyon is a long, narrow valley with very steep sides.
...55 acres of brush-covered hills and narrow canyons.
American English: canyon
Brazilian Portuguese: canhão
Chinese: 峡谷
European Spanish: cañón
French: cañon
German: Cañon
Italian: canyon
Japanese: 渓谷
Korean: 협곡
European Portuguese: desfiladeiro
Latin American Spanish: cañón
Chinese translation of 'canyon'
canyon
(ˈkænjən)
n(c)
峡(峽)谷 (xiágǔ)
(noun)
Definition
a deep narrow steep-sided valley
This trail leads down into the canyon.
Synonyms
gorge
a steep path into Crete's Samaria Gorge
pass
The monastery is in a remote mountain pass.
gulf
valley
clough (dialect)
gully
I could hear the stream flowing at the bottom of the gully.
ravine
The bus is said to have overturned and fallen into a ravine.
defile
gulch (US, Canadian)
The hikers followed their guide down into the gulch.
coulee (US)
Additional synonyms
in the sense of defile
Definition
a narrow pass or gorge
Synonyms
gorge,
pass,
passage,
way through,
gully,
ravine
in the sense of gulch
Definition
a narrow ravine with a stream running through it
The hikers followed their guide down into the gulch.
Synonyms
ravine,
canyon,
defile,
gorge,
gully,
pass
in the sense of gully
Definition
a channel or small valley originally worn away by running water
I could hear the stream flowing at the bottom of the gully.