canyon

canyon — noun

1. a deep, narrow area of land with very steep rock walls on both sides, often crea

1.nounB1
Definition

a deep, narrow area of land with very steep rock walls on both sides, often created by a river flowing through it for thousands of years

Example

The Grand Canyon in Arizona is one of the deepest canyons in the world.

collocation: deepest canyon / steep canyon

Hikers followed the trail along the edge of the steep canyon for two hours.

Common collocations
  • deep canyon
  • steep canyon
  • narrow canyon
  • canyon walls
  • canyon floor
  • canyon rim
  • bottom of the canyon
  • edge of the canyon
  • side of the canyon
Synonyms
  • gorge

    similar in shape but usually narrower and often has a stream running through it; 'gorge' is more common in British English

  • ravine

    smaller than a canyon, formed by fast-flowing water; less dramatic in scale

  • chasm

    a very deep crack in the earth; often used in figurative or dramatic contexts (a chasm between opinions)

Grammar Patterns

a/the + canyon

canyon + noun

Usage Note

Countable noun; frequently used with an article (a canyon / the canyon) or in the plural form (canyons). Many famous canyons appear in place names, such as the Grand Canyon or Bryce Canyon.

Common Mistakes

We walked through a wide, shallow canyon.
We walked through a wide, shallow valley.
A canyon has very steep, almost vertical rock sides, while a valley is wider with gentler slopes.

Word family

  • canyoning
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe a deep opening in the earth, but they differ in size and steepness. A canyon is a large, steep-sided valley, often carved by a river over millions of years — the Grand Canyon is the best-known example. A gorge is narrower and more enclosed, with walls that almost touch overhead in some places, and it usually contains a stream or river. A ravine is much smaller, formed quickly by rainwater runoff rather than a permanent river. A chasm suggests an extremely deep, wide crack, and is used both literally (a chasm in the ice) and figuratively (a chasm between political parties). In everyday speech, 'canyon' is the most common and neutral term; 'gorge' is more specific; 'ravine' is smaller; and 'chasm' carries dramatic or literary overtones.

canyon ↗gorge ↗ravinechasm

Common collocations

Nouns

  • canyon hiking
  • canyon exploration
  • canyon view
  • canyon landscape

Phrases

  • at the bottom of the canyon
  • the edge of the canyon
  • the rim of the canyon
  • walls of the canyon

Prepositions

  • through a canyon
  • into the canyon
  • across the canyon
  • along the canyon

Etymology

SpanishLatin

The word 'canyon' comes from Spanish 'cañón', meaning 'tube' or 'pipe', which traces back to Latin 'canna' (reed, tube). Spanish explorers in the southwestern United States used the word for the deep, narrow gorges they encountered, and English adopted it in the 19th century.