canyon

noun

can·​yon ˈkan-yən 

variants or less commonly cañon

1

: a deep narrow valley with steep sides and often with a stream flowing through it

2

: something resembling a canyon

the city's concrete canyons

Synonyms of canyon

• ravine
• gorge
• valley

Examples of canyon in a Sentence

as the scouts made their way through the canyon, they marveled at the sheer walls of rock on both sides

Recent Examples on the Web

The visitor favorite, the Canyon Loop Trail, is an accessible, easy-to-moderate, two-and-a-half-mile walk that loops around its nine canyons. — Judith Garrison, AJC.com, 5 Nov. 2026

Slightly west, Sultan-Epe lies beside a deep canyon, where a stream threads through thickets of mulberry, buckthorn, blackberry, and wild herbs—another improbable pocket of green in one of Kazakhstan’s driest regions. — Avantika Chaturvedi, Architectural Digest, 5 Nov. 2026

In the late 1870s, a pair of competing railroad companies—the Denver & Rio Grande and the Santa Fe—duked it out for the chance to build tracks through this narrow canyon. — Sarah Kuta, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Nov. 2026

The arid landscape is creased with rugged mountain ranges, cleaved by scenic canyons and filled with vast stretches of open space interrupted by midsize cities and small towns that spring like oases from the desert floor. — Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2026

Word History

Etymology

American Spanish cañón, probably alteration of obsolete Spanish callón, augmentative of calle street, from Latin callis footpath

First Known Use

1834, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for canyon

• anion
• banyan
• carbanion
• companion

Kids Definition

canyon

noun

can·​yon

variants also cañon

ˈkan-yən

: a deep narrow valley with steep sides and often with a stream flowing through it