canyons

noun

variants also cañons
plural of canyon
as in ravines
a narrow opening between hillsides or mountains that can be used for passage as the scouts made their way through the canyon, they marveled at the sheer walls of rock on both sides

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of canyons The last major blaze to sweep through the area was the 2018 Woolsey Fire, meaning brush in most of those canyons has not been cleared for about eight years. — Tom Tapp, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026 By morning, firefighting aircraft were back in the air dropping water on the Bryson fire in Malibu while the sound of generators purchased by outage-weary residents and business owners buzzed through the canyons. — Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026 New backup cameras are especially helpful when fire crews are backing out of tight canyons, firefighters claim. — Jeff Nguyen, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026 The landscape is dry and largely treeless, with canyons and volcanic monoliths periodically interrupting the otherwise unending steppe. — Jordan Salama, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026 Because of the original natural beauty of this place, with its hidden side canyons, petroglyphs, and cottonwood trees, the flooding of Glen Canyon for Lake Powell has always been controversial. — Story Hinckley, Christian Science Monitor, 5 Oct. 2026 Boldface names were offered tours of the oasis of AlUla and its vast sandstone canyons. — Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 30 Sep. 2026 Such terrain is already conducive to flash flooding, sudden torrents that can sweep down canyons and other low-lying areas with little warning. — Megan Janetsky, Chicago Tribune, 28 Sep. 2026 Signal loss can also occur naturally in deep canyons, dense urban areas, or near polar regions where satellite geometry and atmospheric interference degrade accuracy. — New Atlas, 20 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for canyons
  1. ravines
  2. gorges
  3. valleys
Noun
  • This 150-acre Clayton County preserve sits near shopping centers and busy roads, but its trails wind through woodlands, ravines and ponds that feel worlds away from metro Atlanta.
    — Nicole Bennett, AJC.com, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Many more were imperiled by muddy water racing through the narrow ravines, sparking frantic rescue missions for dozens.
    — Holly Yan, CNN Money, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of ravines
Noun
  • The Ivy League college where fraternities throw parties in towering mansions and students weave between deep gorges on their way to class is being rocked over the handling of rape allegations from 2024.
    — Grey Battle, Washington Post, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Cliffs teeter at 1,640 feet, before tumbling down in a flurry of vineyards and walking trails to the rushing rivers and gorges of Sil and Miño.
    — Olivia Morelli, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of gorges
Noun
  • On Friday, temperatures in the valleys and along the coast will be in the upper 80s and 90s.
    — Chelsea Hylton, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The most extreme conditions are expected in the Ventura and Los Angeles County valleys and mountains, particularly Santa Clarita, Thousand Oaks, and Simi Valley.
    — Simmone Shah, Time, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of valleys

Browse Nearby Words

canyon
canyons
cap
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Cite this Entry

“Canyons.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/canyons. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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