gully

1 of 3

noun (1)

gul·​ly ˈgu̇-lē  ˈgə- 

plural gullies

dialectal British

: a large knife

gully

2 of 3

noun (2)

gul·​ly ˈgə-lē 

variants or less commonly gulley

plural gullies

1

: a trench which was originally worn in the earth by running water and through which water often runs after rains

2

: a small valley or gulch

gully

3 of 3

verb

gul·​ly ˈgə-lē 

gullied; gullying

transitive verb

: to make gullies in

intransitive verb

: to undergo erosion : form gullies

Examples of gully in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Long drives over deep gullies and big ponds come often, and accuracy is always in play. —Moira McCarthy, Boston Herald, 25 Sep. 2025

Key Points Providence Canyon State Park in Georgia features colorful, 150-foot gullies. —Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 21 Sep. 2025

Effective water bars can prevent runoff from concentrating on these lines and causing trenches and gullies to form. —Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 13 Aug. 2025

The volunteer firefighters were on the scene last week when Kearns got caught up in the flow of a gully filled with waist-deep water, before being swept into a drain pipe that goes below the street. —Chevall Pryce, Baltimore Sun, 4 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

short for English dialect gully knife

Noun (2)

obsolete English gully gullet, probably alteration of Middle English golet ravine, throat

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1582, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1637, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1754, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Phrases Containing gully

• gully erosion

Rhymes for gully

• cully
• drily
• dully
• gulley
• shaly
• tumuli

Kids Definition

gully

noun

gul·​ly

ˈgəl-ē

plural gullies

: a trench worn in the earth by running water after rains

gully verb