rift valley

noun

Definition of rift valleynext
as in canyon

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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 rift valley The rift valleys of East Africa are some of the largest and most spectacular topographic features on Earth. — David Bressan, Forbes.com, 27 May 2025 There is a rift valley on the Rio Grande in the desert of New Mexico where an award-winning home sits. — Jennifer Castenson, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024 Rather than having a central volcano, the Reykjanes Peninsula is dominated by a rift valley with lava fields and cones. — Alexandra Banner, CNN, 18 Mar. 2024 Valles Marineris is thought to be a rift valley, formed by uplift when hot material from the Mars's mantle bubbled up and stretched the planet's crust. — Discover Magazine, 20 Oct. 2010 See All Example Sentences for rift valley
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rift valley
  1. canyon
  2. gorge
  3. gulch
  4. valley
  5. ravine
  6. gully
  7. depression
  8. glen
Noun
  • The hikers made it to Horse Camp, a popular staging area, but couldn’t find the trail and traveled down a steep, dry river canyon.
    — Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The area is sparsely populated with private estates set atop hills or within canyons, making firefighting access difficult.
    — Tom Tapp, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of canyon
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
  • Within the town, the Victoria Falls Hotel is an old favorite, with 149 rooms and dramatic views of the rocky gorge (doubles from $760).
    — Charukesi Ramadurai, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of gorge
Noun
  • Plastic waste flutters and settles into gulches, catches in the fencing.
    — Cristina Dorador, The Dial, 14 July 2026
  • Head right, and there came public land, the Shasta-Trinity National Forest with its creeks and gulches and two-bit towns like Peanut and Beegum.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 June 2026
Definition of gulch
Noun
  • That raises the possibility of patchy frost, particularly in sheltered valleys and locations where winds relax overnight.
    — Bill Kelly, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The film opens with Tenzing as a boy, gawking at Mount Everest, which looms across the valley like Godzilla.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of valley
Noun
  • Killing a Bear Movistar Plus, Arte France In 2020, Cachou, a brown bear, is found dead in a ravine, sparking a criminal investigation.
    — Emiliano de Pablos, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026
  • The standout among the entertaining spaces is the baby-blue kitchen, which extends from the rear of the home into a rounded turret overlooking a ravine.
    — Tori Latham, Robb Report, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of ravine
Noun
  • There were large puddles of waste around the camp and in the gullies between tents.
    — Ben Taub, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Reaching Gary Grabowske’s land requires grinding along rocky mountain trails and through gullies carved by flash floods.
    — Rebecca Santana, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of gully
Noun
  • The depression that plagues him in winters is nowhere to be found.
    — David Mack, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2026
  • But their emergence also underscores how much psychiatry still needs to learn about the biological underpinnings of depression and why patients respond differently to treatment.
    — Meghana Keshavan, STAT, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of depression
Noun
  • Travelers familiar with Scotland’s Isle of Skye may recognize this recipe for remote luxury, though rather than craggy cliffs and emerald-green glens, Noirmoutier is closer to a little slice of California.
    — Laura Dannen Redman, Robb Report, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The story follows a proud Scot and Laird of Castle Drummoch (Branagh) who defies a shadowy American billionaire (Peter Sarsgaard) hellbent on buying up the glens.
    — Alex Ritman, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of glen

Browse Nearby Words

rifts
rift valley
rift valleys
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Cite this Entry

“Rift valley.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rift%20valley. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on rift valley

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about rift valley

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